Dr. Sebastian Martens honoured with the Otto Hahn Medal and the Dieter Rampacher Prize
25.06.2008
Sebastian Martens, research associate under Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Reinhard Zimmermann since March 2004, is to receive the award for his extraordinary dissertation "Durch Dritte verursachte Willensmängel" (Vices of Consent Caused by a Third Party). The work, encompassing German and European private law, was written at the University of Regengsburg and received a "Summa cum laude" designation.Pursuant to § 123, Par. 1 of the German Civil Code, any declaration of contractual intent which has been induced by fraud or duress may be avoided. This right of avoidance is only limited in cases of fraud committed by a third party, § 123, Par. 2. Through a historic-comparative and comparative law analysis, Sebastian Martens examines the background and normative plausibility of this rule in his dissertation.
Each year the Max Planck Society awards the Dieter Rampacher Prize to its youngest Ph.D. candidates usually between the ages of 25 and 27 for their outstanding doctoral work. The purpose of the prize is to provide an incentive for young scientists and researchers to work on their Ph.D.. The award was first endowed in 1984 by Hermann Rampacher, a Supporting Member of the Max Planck Society, in memory of his brother, Dieter Rampacher, a physics student at the TH Stuttgart, who was killed in action in 1945 at the age of 20.
Since 1978, the Max Planck Society has honoured up to 40 young scientists and researches each year with the Otto Hahn Medal for outstanding scientific achievements. The award comes with a monetary sum in recognition. The prize is intended to motivate especially gifted junior scientists and researchers to pursue a future university or research career.