ZukunftsWissen-Preis for Charlotte Wendland

LMU legal scholar Dr. Charlotte Wendland has been awarded the ZukunftsWissen-Preis for her research in family and inheritance law.

Dr. Charlotte Wendland, a research associate at the Chair of Civil Law, Private International Law, and Comparative Law held by Professor Anatol Dutta at LMU, has been named this year's recipient of the Future Knowledge Prize. The award, presented by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Commerzbank Foundation, honors outstanding early-career researchers whose work develops solutions to major societal challenges.

In her research, Wendland examines the balance between freedom and protection in private law, particularly in light of the diverse challenges facing modern legal systems. Her work focuses on issues such as marriage, wills, and acknowledgments of paternity, exploring how the law enables individual autonomy while also establishing necessary safeguards.

In her doctoral dissertation, Will Substitutes in European Private International Law, Wendland analyzes how individuals can arrange the distribution of their assets after death outside the framework of traditional inheritance law and examines the protective interests that must be taken into account.

Another major focus of her research is the legal regulation of intimate relationships and family formation. Among other topics, she studies assisted reproduction—medical procedures that help individuals and couples fulfill their desire to have children—and the family law issues that arise from these technologies.

In her habilitation project, Why Marriage?, Wendland investigates whether and how current marriage law continues to reflect the realities of modern partnerships. Building on this analysis, she develops proposals for legal reform that better accommodate social diversity and individual freedom. A defining feature of her work is its interdisciplinary approach, combining legal analysis with insights from sociology, demography, and economics while actively engaging in international academic collaboration.

“This award is a great honor for me and strongly motivates me to continue pursuing my research with determination,” says Charlotte Wendland. “I am especially pleased that it also highlights the societal importance of research in the fields of family and inheritance law.”

The Future Knowledge Prize is being awarded for the tenth time in 2026. The Early Career Award, endowed with €50,000 by the Commerzbank Foundation, recognizes outstanding early-career researchers whose work addresses pressing challenges for the future. The award ceremony will take place during the Leopoldina's annual meeting, where the prize recipient traditionally delivers a public lecture.