Dr.
Elsa Neumann
Physicist
* 23. August 1872 in Berlin
† 23. July 1902 in Berlin
Berlin’s first female PhD holder
When Elsa Neumann decided to dedicate her future to science, this goal must have appeared nearly impossible to achieve. In the late 19th century Prussia, university studies were closed to women. So she first passed a teacher’s examination and then took private lessons from various professors.
After acquiring this knowledge and receiving special permission from her future professors as well as support from Emil Warburg and Max Planck, she was able to study physics, mathematics, chemistry and philosophy at the universities in Berlin and Göttingen.
In 1898 she obtained permission from the Ministry of Education to pursue her PhD, which she completed in the same year, making her the first woman in Berlin to receive a doctorate cum laude. From 1899 Elsa Neumann worked and conducted research as a private scholar, as women were not allowed to be employed in such capacity at state institutions. Three years later she died in a laboratory accident. In 2010 the State of Berlin established a scholarship program in her name to support doctoral students.
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