News of May 21, 2026

HZDR Awards 2025: Recognition for cutting-edge research and outstanding commitment

How do gas bubbles behave in turbulent liquids? To answer this question – which is important, for example, for the design of industrial plants – scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have significantly refined and applied an experimental method. For this work, they were awarded the HZDR Research Prize on May 21, 2026. At the award ceremony, the research center also honored its employees in the categories of Technology, Transfer, Communication and PhD.

The award was presented to Dr. Tian Ma, Dr. Hendrik Hessenkemper and Dr. Guangyuan Huang from the Institute of Fluid Dynamics. The research team developed a method for studying swarms of bubbles in a liquid column in three dimensions and in real time. Among other things, the method uses four high-speed cameras that precisely capture both the bubbles themselves and tiny particles in the surrounding liquid.

Using this method, the team gained new fundamental insights into bubble-induced turbulence and the behavior of bubble swarms. Their dynamics play an important role in many natural and technical processes, such as in chemical reactors, wastewater treatment and climate modelling. The team published their findings in renowned journals such as Physical Review Letters and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Precision technology under ultra-high vacuum

Dr. Rong Xiang, Stefan Gatzmaga, Petr Murcek, Reinhard Steinbrück, Dr. Jochen Teichert and Dr. André Arnold from the Institute of Radiation Physics were awarded the HZDR Technology Prize for the development of a specialized ultra-high vacuum technology. The team built an in-house transfer system for particularly sensitive photocathodes. These photocathodes, made for example from the salt caesium telluride, must be transported after manufacture without coming into contact with air to superconducting electron injectors, where they serve as a source of electrons.

The technology enables the particle-free transfer of these sensitive components into the superconducting electron injector, thereby improving the stability and performance of the electron beams produced. The innovation has also attracted considerable interest internationally: for example, the team was commissioned to develop a transfer system for the LCLS-II, currently the largest accelerator project in the USA. The facility generates extremely intense X-ray flashes, which can be used to investigate ultra-fast processes in materials, molecules or biological systems.

Awards for technology transfer and internal dialogue

The HZDR Transfer Award was presented to Dr. Martin Kreller, Dr. Santiago Brühlmann and Dr. Martin Walther from the Institute for Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research. The team successfully produced the radionuclides copper-61, copper-64 and copper-67 at the HZDR. In doing so, the researchers are making a decisive contribution to the development of new copper-based radiopharmaceuticals in Europe. These substances are considered particularly promising for modern cancer diagnostics and therapy. Through the radiopharmaceutical network ‘nukliD’, the team also supplies regional partner companies with copper radionuclides for the production of innovative cancer drugs.

By organizing a colloquium and several discussion sessions on the HZDR’s peace clause, Dr. Denise Erb from the Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research created a space for open dialogue within the research center. She also conducted a staff survey and presented the results to the employees and the Board of Directors. She was awarded the HZDR Communication Prize in recognition of this commitment. The Communications Award is donated by the Sponsors' Association of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) e.V.

Recognition of outstanding doctoral theses

This year, the HZDR honored three early-career researchers for their outstanding doctoral theses:

• Dr. Christopher Heins (Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research): Research into spin waves in magnetic materials and their potential for neuromorphic computing
• Dr. Susanne Schöbel (Institute of Radiation Physics): Development of ultrashort laser pulses for real-time diagnostics of novel plasma accelerators in the micrometre range
• Dr. Diana Isabel Sandoval Bojorquez (Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research): Development of impedance-based sensor platforms for biomedical applications

During the event, the HZDR also paid tribute to all early-career researchers who completed their doctorates at the research center last year. In addition to a certificate, the Board of Directors presented the graduates with a doctoral cap. Among those offering their congratulations were Prof. Ingo Gestring, Rector of the Dresden University of Applied Sciences (HTWD), and Prof. Angela Rösen-Wolff, Vice-Rector for Research and Technology Transfer at TU Dresden.

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