A Rocky Road, Great Support

Gruppenfoto mit Dr. Periyannan und Dr. Angela Merkel

Dr. Dr. Shanmugaypriya Periyannan of the University of Siegen (front row, second from the left) and Dr. Angela Merkel together with young international researchers at the 2026 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting.

Dr. Dr. Shanmugapriya Periyannan proudly shows off her cell phone screen. It displays a photo of her and a group of young scientists—along with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The photo was taken at this year’s Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, where Periyannan represented the University of Siegen. In addition to early-career researchers from around the world and Nobel laureates, she also met Merkel and had the opportunity to participate in a joint discussion with her. It was an event that the 38-year-old, who works as a postdoc at the University of Siegen, would never have dared to dream of just a few years earlier.

Shanmugapriya Periyannan was the first member of her family ever to attend a university. In her homeland in southern India, she first earned a bachelor’s degree—and eventually a “Master of Technology.” During her master’s program, Periyannan discovered nanoscience—the field she is passionate about and in which she continues to conduct research today: for the past three years, she has been part of the interdisciplinary MSCA COFUND project “STAR” (Sensing & Sensibility) at the University of Siegen, where she is developing new approaches to sustainable energy technologies. To achieve this, she has overcome many obstacles

“After completing my master’s degree in India, I was determined to pursue a Ph.D. in nanotechnology,” Periyannan explains. For a year and a half, she wrote over a hundred applications. Then, finally, an acceptance: for an international Ph.D. program funded by the European Union’s Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)—to be completed equally at the University of Liège (Belgium) and at TU Darmstadt. “I had never left my hometown before. Plus, I was married by then and had a young son. I had to do a lot of convincing to get my family on board so I could take the position,” says Periyannan.

In the winter of 2015, Periyannan finally traveled to Belgium—alone: she had to leave her husband and young son behind in her native India. “It was terrible at first. I missed them both so much,” Periyannan recalls. This time, however, it was her family who encouraged her and convinced her to stay. Four years and many visits back and forth later, she had actually done it: she held her dual doctoral degree in chemistry and materials science from the Universities of Liège and Darmstadt in her hands.

Afterward, Periyannan initially returned to India. The COVID-19 pandemic broke out. Shanmugapriya Periyannan and her husband welcomed another baby daughter. The new mother of two accepted a postdoc position at a technology institute in Madras. While she was happy to be able to do research again, she also struggled with work-life balance in the Indian academic world. A “cold email”—an email that Periyannan proactively sent to Germany, in which she wrote about herself and her research questions—ultimately led to another major change. The recipient: Prof. Dr. Manuela Killian, who holds the Chair of Chemistry and Structure of New Materials at the University of Siegen. She wrote back to Periyannan and began working with her to find a job in Germany.

About two years later, success followed: With the support of Prof. Dr. Killian and Prof. Dr. Benjamin Butz, Periyannan secured a postdoctoral position in the interdisciplinary “STAR” program at the University of Siegen—an international mobility and career development program for researchers. So, at the end of 2023, she boarded a plane once again—this time with her two children. Since then, Periyannan has found a new home in Siegen: personally, but above all in her research. At the University of Siegen, she conducts cross-institutional research in Prof. Killian’s research group and in the Department of Mechanical Engineering under Prof. Butz. She investigates how individual atoms can use sunlight highly efficiently on specially developed surfaces. The goal is to make chemical processes more sustainable—for example, the breakdown of pollutants or the production of clean energy sources.

Periyannan has already received several awards for her research: In December 2025, she was honored as the “MSCA Fellow of the Month” by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Finally, this summer, she was selected to participate in the exclusive Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. “None of this would have been possible without the wonderful support I received here at the University of Siegen,” says Periyannan, referring not only to Prof. Killian and Prof. Butz but also to the university’s International Office, which was always there to help with both professional and personal matters. “Staff members at the International Office helped me choose a school for my son and even accompanied me to meetings at the school,” Periyannan reports. She also received every conceivable kind of support when searching for housing or navigating the necessary bureaucratic procedures.

It’s important to Periyannan to give back. She also wants to encourage girls and young women to forge their own paths: to be independent, to pursue their own interests—and especially to conduct research in STEM fields. To that end, she mentors master’s students at the University of Siegen. She also gives regular lectures at her former school and university in India.