Prof. Dr Antje Boetius, former Director of the AWI and a deep-sea and polar researcher, has been honoured with two of Germany’s most prestigious distinctions: the Order of Pour le Mérite for Science and Arts and the Grand Cross of Merit with Star. The awards recognise her outstanding achievements in polar and marine research.
The Pour le Mérite is one of Germany’s most distinguished awards in the fields of science and the arts. The Grand Cross of Merit with Star is one of the highest state honours in the Federal Republic of Germany. Both awards highlight the international significance of Boetius’s research on the polar regions and the oceans, as well as her long-standing contributions to science. Antje Boetius headed the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) for seven years and is still a cooperating professor at the University of Bremen.
“I am delighted to receive this special honour. It is a great privilege to spend time with the members of the Order and exchange views on art and science in the world. Especially since I have been living on the Pacific coast for the past year, having access to this venerable German tradition and institution, with its diverse membership, is enriching for me,” said Antje Boetius on her admission to the Order Pour le Mérite.
Commenting on the award of the Grand Cross of Merit with Star, she said: “It is a particular honour for me to receive the Grand Cross of Merit in person from our Federal President. I share this wonderful recognition of science, and in particular of polar and marine research, with the many companions who have accompanied me over the past years, starting with the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, Bremerhaven and the surrounding region, all the way to the North and South Poles.”
Antje Boetius is one of the world’s leading marine scientists. Her research has significantly advanced our understanding of biodiversity and biogeochemical cycles in the oceans. Over the course of her career, she has taken part in around 50 expeditions aboard international research vessels. Her current work focuses primarily on the impacts of climate change on the biogeochemistry and biodiversity of the Pacific Ocean. Since May 2025, Antje Boetius has been President of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in California, USA.
