DGPs Award for Maximilian Frank

Maximilian Frank, a doctoral candidate in LMU’s Department of Psychology, has been presented with the Award for Quality Assurance in Psychology by the German Psychological Society (DGPs). In presenting this award, the professional society recognizes his commitment to transparent, reproducible, and trustworthy science, and his contribution to ensuring that quality assurance is embedded within the structure of research and teaching.

Frank is doing his doctorate at LMU in the German Research Foundation (DFG) Priority Programme META-REP, where his research focuses on heterogeneity estimations in meta-analyses. Alongside his research, he is actively involved in promoting Open Science and quality assurance within science through a wide range of different initiatives. His goal is to establish sustainable structures that promote open, transparent, and learning-focused science – from educating early-career researchers via the professional society through to international collaboration.

Enlarge

Among his many activities, Frank serves on the DGPs Open Science Commission, leads a working group focusing on error culture within the German National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI), and is a member of the board of the German Reproducibility Network. He is also actively involved in the interdisciplinary LMU Open Science Center, which supports researchers in implementing open and transparent scientific practices and promotes the adoption of best practices for reproducible research.

“Maximilian Frank exemplifies a new generation of researchers who advance scientific excellence not only by conducting outstanding research of their own, but also by establishing common standards, competencies, and structures. The fact that his commitment as a Fellow and strategic advisor at the Open Science Center has now been recognized by a major professional society underlines how important such activities are for boosting a university’s competitiveness and visibility,” says Professor Felix Schönbrodt, Academic Managing Director of the LMU Open Science Center.

The jury that decided on the award emphasized in particular the fact that, even though Frank is just starting his scientific career, he has already established sustainable structures and successfully brought together a range of different stakeholder groups. His work links local initiatives with national and international developments, thereby helping to improve the foundations for high-quality and trustworthy research over the long term.

“I’m deeply honored to receive this Quality Assurance Award from my professional society. Especially as a doctoral candidate, this recognition really spurs me on to keep contributing to the shift in culture toward open and transparent science – a process that has consistently been supported at my university by the LMU Open Science Center. “For me, this award also highlights what an important role early-career researchers play in shaping the future of science, and that it is worthwhile to collaborate with often-overlooked stakeholder groups—such as students and those involved in research infrastructure—to drive this change.”

The Quality Assurance Award is presented by the German Psychological Society to individuals or institutions that have made outstanding contributions to promoting scientific quality in research, teaching, or professional practice. Among other achievements, the award recognizes efforts to promote Open Science standards, good scientific practice, and transparent research. The award will be presented on 7 September 2026 during the DGPs Congress in Luxembourg.