Ernst Fehr Elected to the Orden Pour le mérite für Wissenschaften und Künste
Ernst Fehr joins one of the most exclusive scientific and artistic honors, following in the footsteps of Einstein, Darwin, and Humboldt.
A heartfelt congratulations to Ernst Fehr, Professor of Economics and Director of the UBS Center for Economics in Society, who has just been elected to the renowned Orden Pour le mérite für Wissenschaften und Künste, one of the most exclusive honors in science and the arts.
The election took place at the order's chapter meeting on May 31, 2026 in Berlin. Ernst Fehr was elected as a foreign member alongside performance artist Marina Abramović, while legal scholar Angelika Nussberger and visual artist Anselm Kiefer joined as domestic members. All four have since accepted their election. With these additions, the order now comprises 34 domestic and 38 foreign members, including 17 Nobel laureates.
Membership in this prestigious order is limited to just 40 German and 40 international members "who have earned an outstanding name through widely recognized merit in science and the arts." Election to the order ranks among the highest honors a scientist or artist can receive in Germany. Ernst Fehr now joins a remarkable historical lineage that includes Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Jacob Grimm, Johannes Brahms, Alexander von Humboldt, and many more.
The order itself has a rich history: it was founded in 1842 by Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV and revived in 1952 by Federal President Theodor Heuss, and it remains under the patronage of the German Federal President to this day. Alexander von Humboldt served as its first chancellor. The order is funded and organizationally supported by the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.
This is a truly extraordinary and well deserved recognition of a lifetime of pioneering research.
The order will be conferred on him in May 2027 at a ceremony in Berlin by the German Federal President.
Ernst Fehr’s Website
Official announcement (in German)