Reinhard Genzel receives Bavarian Constitutional Order
Prof. Dr. Reinhard Genzel, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics 2020 and Director of the Infrared Group at MPE, receives the Bavarian Constitutional Order 2025. The honor, presented by State Parliament President Ilse Aigner, recognizes his groundbreaking research on supermassive black holes and his commitment to science in Bavaria.
Prof. Dr. Reinhard Genzel, Director of the Infrared/Submillimeter Group at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) and 2020 Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics, was awarded the Bavarian Constitutional Order on December 4, 2025. Ilse Aigner, President of the Bavarian State Parliament, presented the award in the Senate Hall of the Maximilianeum as part of the Free State of Bavaria's Constitution Day week.
The Bavarian Constitutional Order honors Genzel's outstanding scientific achievements, in particular his groundbreaking research on the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. This work has fundamentally changed our understanding of the dynamics of our galaxy and the universe and set new standards worldwide.
In addition to his scientific achievements, Reinhard Genzel was also honored for his extraordinary commitment to science in Bavaria. This includes his efforts to promote young scientists, expand high-performance research infrastructures, and communicate complex research topics to society.
Reinhard Genzel is one of the world's leading astrophysicists of our time. His research focuses on the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars, and black holes. In 2020, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics together with Andrea Ghez and Roger Penrose for their experimental detection of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. He has also received other prestigious awards, including the Shaw Prize in 2008, the Karl Schwarzschild Medal in 2011, and the Crafoord Prize and the Tycho Brahe Prize, both in 2012. Since 2013, he has also been a member of the Pour le Mérite Order for Science and Arts, and in 2014 he received the Federal Cross of Merit and the prestigious Herschel Medal. The award of the Bavarian Constitutional Order now pays special tribute to his many years of service to science and society in the Free State of Bavaria.
The Bavarian Constitutional Order dates back to the Bavarian Constitutional Medal, which was established in 1961, and since 2021 has been awarded as an order in one class to individuals who have rendered outstanding services to the realization of the principles of the Bavarian Constitution. In addition to Genzel, 48 other individuals were honored with the order in 2025.
