Insider-Newsletter 02/2025

Insider Newsletter: Issue August 2025

Content

Event highlight: Open Labs Day

News: FIS Roadmap - DALI clears major hurdle

Interview: "So geht sächsisch" - Our colleagues in portrait

People: Henning Francik - Event manager at COSMO

Awards: Digital forest - HZDR team wins price at Helmholtz Imaging competition

Calendar: Building Bridges 2025

Notes: Help! Support in difficult situations

In the media: Helmholtz anniversary podcast

Event highlight

Open Labs Day: Journey into the realm of knowledge

On August 23, HZDR is opening its doors for a special event: the Open Labs Day. Visitors can look forward to an exciting, family-friendly program featuring over 100 hands-on and interactive activities – from fascinating lab tours and experiments to exclusive insights into our research. Highlights include a panel discussion with Saxony’s Minister President Michael Kretschmer and the entertaining “Hollywood Science Show” on the main stage. Spread the word and invite your family, friends, and acquaintances – it’s well worth the visit.

Want to know more about the program or how best to get there? All the important information can be found at the following link on our website. More

News

FIS Roadmap: DALI clears major hurdle

The Dresden Advanced Light Infrastructure (DALI), planned at HZDR, has reached an important milestone. The Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) has placed the project on the shortlist of priority research infrastructures (dt. Forschungsinfrastrukturen/FIS) in Germany. This means that DALI is now among the highly eligible large-scale research projects aimed at securing and strengthening Germany’s long-term innovation potential. More

Expansion of photovoltaics gains momentum

HZDR is taking a major step toward climate neutrality at the Rossendorf research campus: With the launch of a large-scale photovoltaic project, a powerful infrastructure for sustainable energy generation is being created – technologically innovative, ecologically sound, and forward-looking for the entire site. Full commissioning of all systems is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2025 to early 2026. More

Interview

"So geht sächsisch": Our colleagues in portrait

What motivates people who live and conduct research in Saxony? What stories lie behind their commitment, their ideas, and their everyday lives? The portal "So geht sächsisch" spoke with two researchers from the HZDR Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research and gained fascinating insights. Dr. Denys Makarov shares his research journey between Kyiv and Dresden and discusses the “e-skins” he is developing, which could enable completely new applications in medicine and robotics. Dr. Denise Erb explains how she uses ion beams to unlock the secrets of valuable art objects – and what she especially appreciates about life in Saxony. More

People

Henning Francik: Event Manager at COSMO

Discovering research from Dresden and engaging in conversation with scientists – that is what the COSMO Science Forum is all about, in which the HZDR has been more actively involved since this year through a new cooperation. Henning Francik has joined the HZDR communications team as an event manager to organize and curate the changing exhibitions at Dresden’s Kulturpalast. More

New “Human and Technology” department launched

The new staff department “Human and Technology” has been launched at the HZDR’s Leipzig site. It explores the societal dimensions of technological Innovations – bringing a social science perspective to HZDR. The goal is to better understand the socio-economic impacts of technology and to actively support its transfer to society. The team includes Agnes Vosen, Julia Busch-Casler, Anika Teichert und Marija Radic. More

Awards

Digital forest: HZDR team wins price at Helmholtz Imaging competition

How much does a forest weigh? This image provides the answer – and was honored in June with the Participants' Choice Award at the Best Scientific Image Contest by Helmholtz Imaging. The team led by Aldino Rizaldy and Sam Thiele from the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) and Sharad Kumar Gupta from the Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS) used drones and laser technology to collect precise forest measurements. They then applied artificial intelligence to create a digital twin. This allowed the researchers to estimate the biomass contained in the forest – a key data point, for example, in climate research. More

HGF honors HZDR researchers with doctoral awards

In two of six research fields, former HZDR doctoral candidates impressed the jury of the Helmholtz Association’s Doctoral Awards with their dissertations. Dr. Stephan Hilpmann received the award in the field of Energy for his thesis on the interaction of a clay rock-relevant microorganism with uranium and europium. In the field of Matter, the award went to Dr. Tim Ziegler for his doctoral research on compact, laser-based plasma accelerators. More

Manfred Hirschvogel Prize for Sara Marchini

Until recently, Dr. Sara Marchini worked at the Institute of Fluid Dynamics – now she has been awarded the Manfred Hirschvogel Prize for the best dissertation in the field of mechanical engineering. The award ceremony took place in June during the Faculty Day of Mechanical Science and Engineering at TU Dresden. This is the second award that the HZDR alumna has received for her outstanding doctoral thesis. In May, she was awarded the Gisela and Erwin Sick University Prize for Measurement Technology. More

Calendar

Register now: “Building Bridges – Latest Findings in AI”

From September 11 to 12, Dresden will once again host researchers and politicians from Saxony, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Baltic States, with Lithuania as this year’s guest country. The focus in 2025: Artificial Intelligence in the fields of health, energy, and microelectronics. The program includes keynotes, panel discussions, lightning talks, matchmaking sessions – and, for the first time, the presentation of the Archimedes Award for outstanding scientific achievements in the field of AI. Participation is free of charge; registration is now open. More

Community Banquet “Dresden is(s)t bunt”

September 1 | from 4 PM
What makes a city vibrant? It’s the encounters, dialogue, and everyday interaction. That’s exactly what the community banquet "Dresden is(s)t bunt" stands for: every year, thousands of people come together to celebrate the city’s diversity and hospitality. As one of around 200 participating organizations, HZDR will once again take part in shaping this festival of encounters on Dresden’s Hauptstraße. Visitors and volunteers are very welcome. More

"Meet and Greet" for Doctoral Researchers

September 16 | 11 AM
The HZDR Career Center warmly invites all new doctoral researchers to a welcome and networking event. Get to know the Career Center team, learn more about career services and training opportunities at the center, and connect with other new colleagues. Afterwards: group lunch in the cafeteria (at your own expense). Feel free to bring other colleagues along. More

HZDR Doctoral Seminar 2025

October 20–22
In the third week of October, HZDR doctoral researchers are invited to attend this year’s Doctoral Seminar at Bildungsgut Schmochtitz. Participants can look forward to engaging talks, soft-skill workshops, and the opportunity to present their own research. Organized by the Doc Reps, the seminar offers a great chance to meet fellow PhD students from other institutes, build your network, and spark new collaborative projects. More

Notes

Help! Support in difficult situations

Some challenges can’t be solved alone – which is why it’s good to know that support is available. The “Help!” page on the HZDR intranet provides an overview of support services offered by the center for dealing with difficult situations in both professional and personal contexts. Whether you're facing health issues, workplace conflicts, discrimination, or acute mental health crises – the page offers concrete information and contact persons who can provide confidential and solution-oriented assistance. More

Holiday camp celebrates 10-year anniversary

The HZDR Holiday Camp has been a staple in many colleagues’ calendars since 2015. Held annually during the first two weeks of the summer break, it has delighted and cared for around 500 children of staff members over the years. This year's anniversary was marked by a creative highlight: the participating children designed an information board showcasing the flora and fauna of the Harth Ponds (dt. Harthteiche), which now brightens up the Rossendorf campus. More

Team spirit at company runs in Dresden and Leipzig

The HZDR was once again active in sports this summer: On May 28 in Dresden and June 25 in Leipzig, more than 150 colleagues participated in company runs in both cities – with lots of energy and good spirits. We have captured the best moments for you in a picture gallery – enjoy clicking through! More

In the media

Helmholtz anniversary podcast

In June, the Helmholtz Association celebrated its 30th anniversary – looking back on its history and looking ahead to the future. What are the particular strengths of Germany's largest research organization? How will it meet the challenges of the coming years? Helmholtz President Otmar D. Wiestler and his designated successor Martin Keller discuss these issues in a podcast by Table Media. More