Laureate Dr Fiona Kolbinger
Dr Fiona Kolbinger (30) works as a physician-scientist at the Department for Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery at the Carl Gustav Carus and Faculty of Medicine, TUD Dresden University of Technology, at the interface of surgery, data science, and artificial intelligence. Her research project analyzes treatment outcomes in oncologic rectal surgery using causal models. The aim is to identify the root of complications and to enable more precise surgical planning. This research is intended to make procedures safer and improve patient care. For this work, the Jung Foundation awards Kolbinger the Jung Career Advancement Award 2026, endowed with €210,000.
Kolbinger combines clinical practice with data-driven research and international collaboration. Her scientific work has been embedded in Dresden’s interdisciplinary research ecosystem, where she collaborated with the Else Kröner Fresenius Center (EKFZ) for Digital Health at TUD and the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT/UCC) Dresden for several years. Since 2023, she has been leading an independent research group at Purdue University, a leading engineering university in the United States, in which physicians, data scientists, and engineers collaborate. Her approach to both research and life is guided by a clear conviction: “Just because no one has taken a certain path before does not mean it will not lead to the goal.”