DAAD Prize awarded to Adi Muralidharan

The DAAD prize honours not only academic achievements but social and intercultural engagement at KLU. What activities and projects have you been involved in at the university?

Before I joined KLU, I had done a Bachelor of Engineering degree in India and then worked in Oman for a few years as a sales and service engineer. I also had my own small clothing company. I knew when I came to KLU in 2022, I wanted to work with people within the university, so I joined student clubs Advisupply, which consults with organizations on topics such as logistics and marketing benchmarking, and UniKonnect, which runs events to connect students with potential employers. I also helped my fellow students with Excel and SPSS tools and filled in as a student ambassador at a university Open Day, which was really fun.

As a KLU student, I registered with the GIZ – the German Development Cooperation - and attended a seminar in Bonn, where we learned a lot about sustainable agriculture. I then travelled to Ghana with the GIZ and got to meet local farmers and interact with them about how they're producing cocoa, bananas, rice, and dry fruits, as well as some of the biggest manufacturing companies in the country.

What have been some of the highlights of these activities?

Joining the student clubs, Advisupply and UniKonnect, I got to meet really fun people from the bachelor’s program as well the master’s program. So, I got to meet these motivated and inspiring minds, and I was able to learn a lot from them, including how to talk to people of different ages and backgrounds and build relationships. Not just meeting people and then forgetting they exist but developing closer relationships with everyone within this ecosystem.

Working with the GIZ in Ghana, I learned a lot about sustainable agriculture, and got to see the starting point of some of the raw materials that we're using in the supply chain, and it was very interesting. We also got to understand the challenges local farmers and manufacturers there are facing.

What does winning the DAAD prize mean to you?

I’m truly honored to win the prize. I’ve had a very good experience at KLU and then to be nominated for a prize of this kind is like the cherry on the cake. The recognition and knowing that everyone here has seen the work I’ve done and it's being rewarded, well it feels really nice.

What advice would you give someone starting at KLU?

Spread your wings. This is a place where you can really try to accomplish whatever you want. The ecosystem, the people we have are super friendly. I don't know many places where as soon as you enter the building you get like smile from a friendly receptionist. It's amazing, like starting the day on a high. I never thought that I would have had all the opportunities that I've had. I feel like KLU is a place where if you want something, you will be given the opportunity to try it out. And then it's on you how you go from there. I've had a lot of people who've asked me to tell them something about KLU when they’re trying to decide where to study and I tell them that I don’t many other places that offer you the opportunities that KLU does.

What does the future hold?

I’m working with 4flow, which is a supply chain consulting and fourth-party logistics services company at the moment. I really like Hamburg - there’s a good vibe here. I like the people and there’s something in the atmosphere of this place that you sort of fall in love with. I've also made a lot of good friends at KLU, so I’d love to stay here.