Federal Cross of Merit for Peter-André Alt
Peter-André Alt, spokesperson for the Executive Board of the Wübben Stiftung Wissenschaft, has been awarded the Federal Cross of Merit in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Germany’s science and research landscape. The award was presented on May 29, 2026, on behalf of the Federal President by Berlin’s Senator for Science, Ina Maria Czyborra.
“What particularly impresses me about you is the way you have understood and lived science: never as a self-contained world, but as a shared responsibility,” said Senator Ina Czyborra in her laudatory speech.
Following his studies, doctorate, and habilitation at Freie Universität Berlin, he made a lasting impact on literary studies through a series of highly acclaimed scholarly works, including influential biographies of Schiller, Kafka, and Freud, as well as seminal studies in cultural and literary theory. As President of Freie Universität Berlin (2010–2018), he played a key role in the university’s strategic development and significantly strengthened support for early-career researchers, notably through the Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School of Literary Studies and the Dahlem Research School. From 2018 to 2023, he served as President of the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK), shaping Germany’s higher education landscape as a voice of reason and consensus. Since 2023, he has been the spokesperson of the Executive Board at Wübben Stiftung Wissenschaft.