Liliane Weissberg Receives Prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Research Award
Prestigious international honor recognizes distinguished scholarship while supporting new research collaboration with leading institutions in Germany.
Liliane Weissberg, Ph.D., Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor in Arts and Sciences and Professor of German in the School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, has been awarded the 2026 Alexander von Humboldt Research Award, one of Germany’s most distinguished international research honors.
Presented by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the award recognizes internationally renowned scholars whose research has made lasting contributions to their disciplines. In addition to honoring past achievements, the award invites recipients to pursue a research project of their choice at a research institution in Germany in collaboration with colleagues there, fostering long-term international partnerships and scholarly exchange.
Liliane Weissberg, Ph.D.
Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor in Arts and Sciences, Professor of German
Department of French and Francophone Studies, Italian Studies, and Germanic Languages and Literatures
School of Arts and Science
University of Pennsylvania
Weissberg’s scholarship explores German and American literature from the late eighteenth century to the present, with particular emphasis on German-Jewish literature and culture, literary theory, psychoanalysis, and intellectual history. Her research has expanded understanding of cultural memory, identity, exile, and the relationship between literature, history, and philosophy.
Her work has been published extensively in both the United States and Germany and has previously been recognized through a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. The Alexander von Humboldt Research Award provides an opportunity to build on these contributions through collaborative research with scholars at leading institutions in Germany.
Strengthening International Scholarship
The Alexander von Humboldt Research Award reflects Penn’s commitment to advancing scholarship through international collaboration. By supporting sustained partnerships between Penn faculty and researchers in Germany, the award creates opportunities to exchange ideas, deepen interdisciplinary inquiry, and strengthen global academic networks.
Through strategic investment in faculty excellence, international partnerships, and interdisciplinary collaboration, the Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) supports Penn scholars in pursuing discoveries and scholarship that extend the University’s research impact across disciplines and around the world.
Learn more about the Max Planck–Humboldt Research Award.