Teaching with expertise and personality - Georgia Samaras receives Prize for Excellence in Teaching

The unity of research and teaching is what defines universities. And it is the combination of academic excellence, didactic skill, and personal commitment that defines good teaching. This is exemplified by TUM lecturers Alisa Machner and Georgia Samaras, who have now been honored with the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts’ Prize for Excellence in Teaching.

“Good teaching is the heartbeat of science,” emphasized State Minister Markus Blume at the award ceremony in Augsburg. “Where teaching is delivered with commitment and passion, curiosity, courage, and vision emerge. Excellent teaching is the foundation of excellent research – one cannot thrive without the other.” Awarded annually by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts, the prize is endowed with EUR 5,000 per recipient and recognizes lecturers who inspire students through didactic quality, an innovative spirit and personal dedication, supporting not only academic achievement but also personal development.

Georgia Samaras: empathetic and interdisciplinary

Georgia Samaras achieves similarly strong results. For more than ten years she has taught at TUM, and since 2022 she works as a lecturer in the Responsibility in Science, Engineering and Technology (RESET) program at the TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology. Her teaching moves naturally across disciplines, stages of study, and target groups.

She pursues a consistently competence‑oriented approach in which formats, methods, and assessments are precisely aligned with learning objectives, disciplinary requirements, and students’ needs – and are continuously refined. Interactive elements such as group discussions, scenario‑based work, or role‑playing encourage active learning as well as critical thinking and reflection. With openness, intellectual curiosity, and genuine appreciation, she not only supports her students but is also deeply committed to the ongoing development of teaching quality at the department level, to students’ mental wellbeing, and to fostering a non‑discriminatory learning environment.