The unity of research and teaching is what defines universities. And it is the combination of academic excellence, didactic skill, and personal commitment that defines good teaching. This is exemplified by TUM lecturers Alisa Machner and Georgia Samaras, who have now been honored with the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts' Prize for Excellence in Teaching.
"Good teaching is the heartbeat of science," emphasized State Minister Markus Blume at the award ceremony in Augsburg. "Where teaching is delivered with commitment and passion, curiosity, courage, and vision emerge. Excellent teaching is the foundation of excellent research - one cannot thrive without the other." Awarded annually by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts, the prize is endowed with EUR 5,000 per recipient and recognizes lecturers who inspire students through didactic quality, an innovative spirit and personal dedication, supporting not only academic achievement but also personal development.
Alisa Machner: innovative and hands-on
Axel König / StMWK This is undoubtedly the case for Alisa Machner. Since 2020, she has headed the Professorship of Mineral Construction Materials at the Centre for Building Materials at the TUM School of Engineering and Design. What might initially sound like a rather technical subject becomes, in her courses, a vivid and dynamic field of learning.
Her teaching concept combines asynchronous online materials with practice‑oriented in‑person exercises and flipped‑classroom elements. This structure gives students scope for independent learning while enabling focused application and deeper understanding of the content. With friendliness, attentiveness, and academic clarity, Alisa Machner creates a learning environment in which digital didactics and personal support work hand in hand to motivate students - a fact reflected in consistently outstanding course evaluations.
Georgia Samaras: empathetic and interdisciplinary
Axel König / StMWK Georgia Samaras achieves similarly strong results. For more than ten years she has taught at TUM, and since 2022 she works as a lecturer in the Responsibility in Science, Engineering and Technology (RESET) program at the TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology. Her teaching moves naturally across disciplines, stages of study, and target groups.
She pursues a consistently competence‑oriented approach in which formats, methods, and assessments are precisely aligned with learning objectives, disciplinary requirements, and students' needs - and are continuously refined. Interactive elements such as group discussions, scenario‑based work, or role‑playing encourage active learning as well as critical thinking and reflection. With openness, intellectual curiosity, and genuine appreciation, she not only supports her students but is also deeply committed to the ongoing development of teaching quality at the department level, to students' mental wellbeing, and to fostering a non‑discriminatory learning environment.
Celebrating the many faces of excellent teaching
Of course, TUM itself also honors exceptional achievements in teaching. In addition to Alisa Machner and Georgia Samaras, Beate Brandl, Claudia Doblinger, Markus Gütlich, Andreas Jossen, Laura Weißmüller, and Ilkay Yavrucuk will receive the university's Certificate of Honor for Excellence in Teaching this year. The awards will be presented at the Forum Neue Lehrformate on 30 April in the Immatriculation Hall.
