Huber Kältemaschinenbau recognises outstanding achievements by young talent in the field of refrigeration technology

In addition to the presentation of the traditional Valerius Füner Prize, this year’s Peter Huber Prize was awarded to Svenja Keppler. Furthermore, from Huber’s perspective, there was a particular cause for celebration: Aaron Fischer, a working student in refrigeration development at Huber, was among the recipients of the Valerius Füner Prize.

The award ceremony took place in the presence of prominent industry representatives. The laudatory speeches for the recipients of the Valerius Füner Prize were delivered by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthäus Wollfarth and Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Michael Kauffeld from the HKA. The Peter Huber Prize, endowed by Huber, was presented by Dr Jakob Schaaf (Peter Huber Kältemaschinenbau SE). Chief Technology Officer Rainer Große-Kracht attended the ceremony on behalf of the BITZER Group.

Since 1982, the Valerius Füner Foundation has annually honoured the best Bachelor’s degree in the specialisation of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Environmental Technology at the HKA; since 2010, this has been supported by THE SCHAUFLER FOUNDATION (TSF). Due to the outstanding achievements of two graduates, the award was presented to two recipients for the first time this year.

Aaron Fischer successfully completed his Bachelor’s degree at the HKA in 2026. He completed his final-year project whilst working directly at Peter Huber Kältemaschinenbau SE. In it, he researched the further development of refrigeration machines for temperatures below −100 °C using natural refrigerants. Since March 2026, he has been continuing his studies on the Master’s programme in Mechanical Engineering, specialising in energy efficiency, at the HKA, whilst also working as a student trainee in the refrigeration development department at Huber.

Nikolas Spanuth completed his Bachelor’s degree in 2025. In his Bachelor’s thesis at the Test and Training Centre for Heat Pumps and Refrigeration Technology (TWK) in Stutensee, he designed and built a test rig for investigating air-cooled heat exchangers using the natural refrigerant R744 (CO₂). Since April 2026, he has been pursuing his Master’s degree at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.

The Peter Huber Prize, established in memory of the company’s founder, recognises outstanding achievements in the Master’s programme in Mechanical Engineering, specialising in energy efficiency in refrigeration, air-conditioning and environmental technology. This year, the prize was awarded to Svenja Keppler, who had previously been honoured with the Valerius Füner Prize in 2024 for her Bachelor’s degree.

In her Master’s thesis, Keppler focused on the development of an energy-efficient heat pump system for the industrial defrosting of fish. This innovative concept makes a tangible contribution to reducing the carbon footprint in the international food and logistics supply chain. Following the successful completion of her Master’s degree at the HKA, Svenja Keppler has been working at the TWK since January 2026 as a lecturer for further training courses in refrigeration technology.

“The skills and enthusiasm of young talent are the key to successfully shaping technological change and meeting environmental requirements in our industry,” emphasises Joe Huber, CEO of Peter Huber Kältemaschinenbau SE. “The award-winning projects impressively demonstrate the immense potential that lies in practical applications and research into natural refrigerants. We warmly congratulate all the prize-winners on their outstanding achievements and are proud to actively support this endeavour as a partner to the scientific community.”