Siegen professor in 3rd place in the "Professor of the Year" competition
He tries to be the professor he wished he had been as a student: psychology junior professor Dr. Kai Horstmann from the University of Siegen. Now he has been honored for precisely this commitment: The UNICUM Foundation honored him with 3rd place in the "Professor of the Year 2025" competition in the natural sciences/medicine category. The title recognizes teachers who support their students far beyond the lecture hall. This year, around 5,000 nominations were received for around 600 professors. The prize is awarded to lecturers who support their students in a special way when they start their careers - through commitment, networks and practical offers. Horstmann heads the Psychological Diagnostics and Differential Psychology working group at the University of Siegen.
"I always work on the assumption that the students in my subject can overcome all challenges," says Horstmann. "I encourage them to start by assuming that everything is possible." Horstmann is convinced that academic success should not be a product of chance - and should certainly not depend on one's parents. "I am aware that personal background still has a strong influence on the success of students in Germany. Through my sponsorship, I hope to counteract this and educate students who will later pass this on to others."
Opening doors, building bridges
Whether through individual mentoring, application training or personal feedback on application documents - Horstmann often accompanies students far beyond the lecture period. He is particularly interested in first-time academics, i.e. students with no previous university experience. He is also involved in the Arbeiterkind.de network.
His students describe him as a "bridge between lecturers and students". He is someone who is genuinely interested in their concerns, regularly seeks to exchange ideas and sometimes invites them to a pub evening. He networks specifically with science and business, arranges internships, research and stays abroad as well as doctoral positions and regularly brings practitioners to his courses.
"He is an enabler, a man with a clear profile who offers so much more than just good teaching," says the Psychology Student Council of the University of Siegen. "He lives a culture of support that opens just the right doors for many students."
A personal concern
Before Horstmann came to the University of Siegen in 2022, his time at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin had a lasting impact on him. His doctoral supervisor, Prof. Dr. Matthias Ziegler, was a particular role model for him: "I am firmly convinced that I would not be where I am without my personal mentors." He would like to pass this experience on to the next generation of students.
The UNICUM Foundation has been presenting the "Professor of the Year" award since 2006. This year's jury, headed by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Radtke, former Vice President of the German Rectors' Conference and Rector of the University of Duisburg-Essen, awarded prizes in four categories. In the "Natural Sciences/Medicine" category, the biopsychologist Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Onur Güntürkün (Ruhr University Bochum) and medical scientist Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Martina Müller-Schilling (University of Regensburg) took first place. Third place went to Horstmann.
Horstmann researches how personality manifests itself in everyday life and how people behave in order to better understand themselves and others. His goal: basic research that is reflected in everyday life.
