The Iranian graduate of Mainz University of Applied Sciences, Ali Hosseini Nouroz, is the recipient of the DAAD Prize which comes with 1,000 Euros. With this award, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and Mainz University of Applied Sciences honor outstanding achievements and remarkable social commitment of foreign students. University President Prof. Dr. Susanne Weissman presented the award at the Academic Graduation Ceremony of the degree programs of the Department of Civil Engineering on June 17, 2023. “International students are a significant enrichment for our university and for our society,” Prof. Dr. Weissman stressed.
“As a DAAD award-winner, I am overwhelmed and delighted to receive this award. It means a lot to me as it recognizes my hard work, dedication to my studies, and passion for intercultural exchange and volunteerism,” said Ali Hosseini Nouroz, advising other foreign students to “be brave, have new experiences, be actively involved, and take advantage of the diversity of studying abroad.”
After growing up in Iran, Ali Hosseini Nouroz completed a bachelor’s degree program in Executive Management Engineering and Civil Engineering in Tehran. He then worked for two years as a Junior Construction Manager and volunteered at a senior citizens’ center on the side. In the fall of 2020, he came to Germany and learned German intensively so that he could begin his master's degree in Civil Engineering at Mainz University of Applied Sciences as early as the summer semester of 2021. A short time later, he started working as a student worker at the Hochtief construction group. He supported the Site Management in a railroad construction project and ultimately wrote his master’s thesis on the elaboration of a technical supplement in special heavy construction for a complex demand situation based on an example of railroad construction.
He very successfully completed his studies within four semesters and was one of the best graduates in his degree program when he received his master's degree in early 2023. In addition to his professional activities, he is also involved as a volunteer in various social projects both in his home country and in Mainz, including helping refugees. The civil engineer is now working as a site manager at Hochtief on the rail construction project where he was previously a student employee.
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
The German Academic Exchange Service is a collective institution of the German universities. It uses public funds to promote international academic cooperation, especially the exchange of students and researchers. Foreign students enrich the university community both culturally and academically. To recognize this, the DAAD provides annual funding to universities to award a prize to outstanding foreign students.