Annually, the TUM graduate school awards this prize endowed with 1500,-€ and a medal to the three best Ph.D. graduates. Out of all “summa cum laude” graduates the jury selected those who have displayed the highest excellence in publications within a short or normal dissertation time. The medal was awarded on 28 July, 2017 within the “Tag der Fakultät” ceremony. Mrs. Scherf completed her dissertation titled “Substitution Effects in Alkali Metal Silicides and Germanides” at the Chair for Inorganic Chemistry with Focus on Novel Materials (Prof. Fässler). She performed research on novel lithium-containing materials with potential application as precursors for anode materials and for the synthesis of silicon allotropes. Her Ph.D. studies were generously supported by a Ph.D. scholarship from the German chemical industry association Verband der Chemischen Industrie.