• Nobel Prize in Physics
  Peter Andreas Grünberg 
  Adjunct Professor
  2007

• Nobel Prize in Chemistry
  Professor Dr. Kurt Alder   
  Chair in Chemistry 
  1950

• Prof. Dr. Anne Storch (2017)
  Institute for African Studies and Egyptology - Faculty of Arts and Humanities
• Prof. Dr. Achim Rosch (2013)
  Institute of Theoretical Physics – Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
• Prof Dr. Martin Zirnbauer (2009)
  Institute of Theoretical Physics – Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
• Prof. Dr. Jens Claus Brüning (2007)
  Institute of Genetics – Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
• Prof. Dr. Thomas Mussweiler (2006) (since 11/2016 no longer at the university)
  Institute of Psychology – Faculty of Education
• Prof. Dr. Axel Ockenfels (2005)
  Department of Governance and Public Policy – Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences
• Prof. Dr. Martin Krönke (2001)
  Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene – Faculty of Medicine
• Prof. Dr. Andreas Kablitz (1997)
  Department of Romance Studies – Faculty of Arts and Humanities
• Prof. Dr. Ulf-Ingo Flügge (1996)
  Botanical Institute – Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
• Prof. Dr. Thomas Schweizer (†) (1995)
  Institute of Ethnology – Faculty of Arts and Humanities
• Prof. Dr. Peter Schneider (1992)
  Mathematics – Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

• Prof. Dr. Bart Thomma, Wageningen University, Phytopathology (2021)
• Prof. Dr. Malte Gather, University of St Andrews, Schottland, Nanobiophotonics (2019)
• Prof. Dr. Henning Walczak, University College London, Cancer Biology (2019)
• Prof. Dr. Jijie Chai, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, Structural Biology (2017)
• Prof. Dr. Sven Bernecker, University of California, Irvine, USA, Theoretical Philosophy (2016)

• Professor Tracy C. Davis, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA, Theatre studies and media studies (in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Peter W. Marx)  (2015)
• Professor Kathleen J. Green, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA (in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Carien M. Niessen) (2015)

• Dr. Mirka Uhlirova, Institute for Genetics (2008)
• Dr. Mark Depauw, Institute of Egyptology (2004)
• Dr. Manuel Koch, Faculty of Medicine (2002)

ERC Starting Grant

• Dr. Cedrick Ansorge, Institute for Genetics (2019)
• Dr. Alexander Blanke, Zoological Institute  (2018)
• Prof. Dr. -Ing. Gregor Gassner, Mathematical Institute  (2017)
• Prof. Dr. Clemens Kroneberg, Institute of Sociology and Social Psychology (ISS) (2017)
• Prof. Dr. Stefanie Walch-Gassner, Institute of Physics I (2016)
• Prof. Dr. Matteo Bergami - CECAD/Institute for Genetics (2016)
• Prof. Dr. Florian Klein, Director at the Institute of Virology, University Hospital Cologne (2016)
• Dr. David Vilchez, CECAD/Institute for Genetics (2016)
• Prof. Ingo Rohlfing, PhD , Cologne Center for Comparative Politics (2015)
• Prof. Dr. Kathrin Bringmann, Mathematical Institute (2014)

ERC Consolidator Grant

• Prof. Dr. Gunther Döhlemann, Botanical Institute (2017)
• Professor Dr. Sebastian Diehl,  Institute of Theoretical Physics (2016)
• Prof. Dr. Alexander Grüneis, Institute of Physics II (2015)
• Prof. Dr. Juliette de Meaux, Botanical Institute (2015)
• Prof. Dr. Gesine Müller, Romance Studies Department (2015)
• Prof. Dr. Thorsten Hoppe, Institute for Genetics (2013)

ERC Advanced Grant

• Prof. Dr. Stephan Schlemmer, Institute for Astrophysics (2021)
• Prof. Dr. Michael Bollig. Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology (2021)
• Prof. Dr. Jens Brüning, CECAD/Institute for Genetics (2018)
• Prof. Dr. Manolis Pasparakis, Institute for Genetics (2018)
• Prof. Dr. Axel Ockenfels, Department of Governance and Public Policy (2018)
• Prof. Dr. Yoichi Ando, Institute of Physics (2017)
• Prof. Dr. Carsten Münker, Institute of Geology and Mineralogy (2015)

Max Planck Research Award

• Prof. Dr. W. Eck (2000)   
• Prof. Dr. W. Stoffel (1992)
• Prof. Dr. T. Krieg (1991)

Ernst Jung Prize in Medicine (Jung Foundation)

• Prof. Dr. J. Brüning, Institute for Genetics (2009)
• Prof. Dr. T. Benzing, Faculty of Medicine (2008) 
• Prof. Dr. W. Stoffel, Faculty of Medicine (1990)

Cologne Innovation Prize (City of Cologne)

•  Prof. Dr. K. Meerholz, Chemistry Department (2004) 

Postbank Finance Award (Deutsche Postbank) 

• Prof. Dr. A. Kempf (2007/2008) 

SASTRA Ramanujan Prize

• Prof. Dr. K. Bringmann (2009) 

Wilhelm Vaillant Prize (Wilhlem Vaillant Foundation)

• Prof. Dr. J. Brüning (2005) 

Heinz Maier Leibnitz Prize (DFG)

• Jun.-Prof Dr. Stefanie Gänger (2019)
• Dr. Daniel Gutzmann (2016)
• Dr. Silvia Gruhn (Daun) (2014)
• Prof. Dr. C. Kubisch (2000) 

Alfried Krupp Prize for the Advancement of Young Professors  
(Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation)

• Prof. Dr. K. Bringmann (2009)

Innovation Prize of the State of NRW

• Prof. Dr. Brunhilde Wirth (2019)
• Prof. Dr. J. Wolf, Cancer Center Cologne (2016)
• Prof. Dr. Klaus Meerholz, Chemistry Department (2010)
• Prof. Dr. Günther Schwarz, Chemistry Department (2010)
• Dr. Björn Schumacher, Institute for Genetics (2009)

Karl Arnold Prize (North Rhine-Westphalia Academy of Sciences and Arts)

• Prof. Dr. P. Schmitz (2006)

Europhysics Prize

• Prof. A. Rosch (2016)

Outstanding Achievement Award, American Diabetes Association   

• Prof. Dr. Jens Brüning (2013)

German Cancer Prize  

• Prof. Dr. Michael Hallek (2017)

Communicator Prize

• Dr. Stefan Kröpelin (2017)

Max Planck Medal 

• Prof. Dr. Martin Zirnbauer (2012)

Lichtenberg Professorship

• Prof. Dr. Birgit Hellwig (2014)
• Prof. Dr. med. Dr. rer. nat. Michal-Ruth Schweiger (2014)

Heisenberg Professorship

• Prof. Dr. Thiemo Breyer (2018)
• Dr. Nils Gehring (2016)
• Prof. Dr. Silvia Daun (2016)

Reinhart Koselleck- Research Prize

• Prof. Dr. Patrick Schmitz (2020)
• Prof. Dr. Thomas Langer (2015)

• Prof Dr. Peter Hanau, Order of the Rising Sun (Japan) (2009)