Annika Tjuka, a former PhD student at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA) and the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology (MPI-GEA, former Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History), is one of the 2025 awardees. She received the medal for her doctoral research, which focused on linguistic diversity and variations in word meanings across languages. Adopting a computational approach, Tjuka developed an interdisciplinary database compiling word properties across 39 languages and integrating insights from linguistics and psychology. She also examined the relationship between word meanings within the semantic domain of the human body, investigating the intricate relationship between language, culture, and cognition.

“I find it fascinating how languages package information differently,” says Tjuka. “Discovering that the Czech word ‘noha’ can mean both ‘foot’ and ‘leg’ sparked my interest in how our brains categorise body parts. Additionally, I found it interesting that the Czech word for ‘heel’ (‘pata’) also refers to the ‘end part of a bread loaf’, while in Vietnamese, the word for ‘head’ (‘đầu’) is used instead. This made me realise that there is cultural variation in which perceptual feature is used to name objects. The insights gained from different languages fuel my curiosity and motivate my research.”

Looking ahead, Tjuka will continue her research as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution at the MPI-EVA. She was awarded the Otto Hahn Medal at the Annual Meeting of the Max Planck Society on 25 June 2025 in Magdeburg.

Congratulations!

Since 1978, the Max Planck Society has honoured up to 30 young scientists and researchers each year with the Otto Hahn Medal for outstanding scientific achievements. It is named after the German chemist and Nobel laureate Otto Hahn (1879–1968), who served as president of the Max Planck Society from 1948 to 1960.

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Contact:

Dr. Annika Tjuka
Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
annika_tjuka@[>>> Please remove the text! <<<]eva.mpg.de

Sandra Jacob
Press Officer
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
+49 341 3550-122
jacob@[>>> Please remove the text! <<<]eva.mpg.de