Online Annual Report 2014

In Brief: Personnel Matters

Appointments / Functions

  • In July 2014, the TU Dresden appointed Prof. Karim Fahmy of the Institute of Resource Ecology honorary professor of Structural Dynamics of Biomolecules. This continues the longtime collaboration between the Head of the Department of Biophysics and the University of Excellence. Since 2007, Fahmy has been active in both research and teaching at the Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering.

  • In July 2014, Prof. Burkhard Kämpfer was named Helmholtz Professor. This recognition is given by the Helmholtz Association to researchers with distinguished academic careers. Scientists who have proven merit and excellence have the opportunity to continue their research after retirement. At the HZDR, Burkhard Kämpfer was head of the Hadron Physics Department at the Institute of Radiation Physics.

  • In late September 2014, the TU Dresden awarded university teacher membership rights to Prof. Jens Pietzsch of the Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research. At the university, Pietzsch teaches in the area of pathobiochemistry, which studies the pathological changes of chemical processes within cells, tissues, and organs, as well as different diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. At the HZDR, Pietzsch is head of the Department of Radiopharmaceutical and Chemical Biology.

  • In November 2014, Prof. Peter Kaever was named honorary professor by the Dresden University of Applied Sciences. Kaever, who is head of the HZDR's Department of Research Technology, has been a lecturer at the University since 2011, teaching classes on Ethernet-based distribution automation systems.

Awards

  • 2014 HZDR Awards (given out March 13, 2015, at the HZDR Annual Reception)
  • The Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) and the TU Bergakademie Freiberg have developed a process for recycling cathode ray tubes and LCD screens in an environmentally-friendly and profitable way. For their work, researchers Prof. Michael Stelter of Freiberg University and Prof. Christiane Scharf of the HIF were the recipients of the 50,000 Euro Kaiserpfalz Award in Metallurgy.

  • For his valuable contributions to the field of research “health”, the Helmholtz Association has awarded chemist Prof. Leone Spiccia of Australia's Monash University a Helmholtz International Fellow Award. The 20,000 Euro award is meant as an incentive for Spiccia to come and conduct research at the Helmholtz Centers Dresden-Rossendorf and Berlin. HZDR scientists have been working with Spiccia since 2006.

  • Dr. Karl Zeil of the Institute of Radiation Physics was the recipient of the 2014 Behnken-Berger-Stiftung's 15,000 Euro advancement award for his work on mechanisms of laser particle accelerators. In his doctoral work, the HZDR physicist has been working on high-power lasers that can help simplify the use of charged particles like protons in the fight against cancer.

  • Together with the company Freiberger Compound Materials and the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, researchers at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) were able to develop a process for recycling gallium arsenide from industrial wastewater, which uses only trace amounts of energy and chemicals. In recognition of the innovative nature of this method, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy presented the researchers with the 2014 German Raw Materials Efficiency Award in the amount of 10,000 Euros.

  • For his merits in the area of cancer research and treatment, Prof. Michael Baumann, Director of the HZDR Institute of Radiooncology and of the OncoRay Center, was the recipient of the 2013 Wilhelm Warner Award. To date, the eponymous foundation's award in the amount of 10,000 Euros has been awarded to some 60 researchers - among them German Nobel laureate Harald zur Hausen.

  • Finland's Turku University and Abo Akademi Turku presented Prof. Jörg Steinbach, Director of the Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, with their 2014 Gadolin Award  in recognition of Steinbach's achievements in the area of radiochemistry. The award, which is given every three years, is in remembrance of the father of modern-day Finnish chemistry research, Johan Gadolin.

  • The Saxon capital's Dresden Congress Award 2014 went to HZDR researcher Dr. Peter Michel of the Institute of Radiation Physics for the successful organization and execution of the International Particle Accelerator Conference (IPAC). The Conference had brought close to 1,500 accelerator experts to Dresden. With the award, the city honors highly motivated scientists, entrepreneurs, and congress organizers.

  • For the 15th time in a row, the Dresden Chamber of Industry and Commerce ranked the HZDR an outstanding company for trainees, which was exemplified by two former trainees, Christoph Görgen and Michael Reimann, who each scored 95 out of 100 total possible points on their skilled worker exams. Their scores helped catapult them to the top of their profession not only within the Dresden chamber district but in fact within the whole of Saxony.

  • The 2013/2014 ITVA Silver Award in the category research/development went to the HZDR for its image film. The entry, entitled "Fascination Research," shows HZDR scientists and staff talking about the center's different research areas and successes. The acronym ITVA stands for Integrated TV & Video Association Germany, which is made up of companies and individuals from the film and video industry.

Obituaries

  • On July 15, 2014, Prof. Heino Nitsche passed away unexpectedly at his home in Oakland, California. From 1993 to 1998, Nitsche headed the Institute of Radiochemistry (today's Institute of Resource Ecology) at what was then the Rossendorf Research Center (FZR). During his tenure as institute director, Nitsche triggered a number of decisions that helped shape the HZDR's high scientific quality to this day. In 1998, Nietsche accepted the professorship of Nobel laureate Glenn T. Seaborg in Berkeley.

  • On August 20, Dr. Helmar Carl, a longtime HZDR employee, passed away aged 66. Since he started working at what was then the Central Institute for Nuclear Research in 1982, Carl conducted research on fuel elements of pressurized water reactors. His work was an important contribution to improving nuclear fuel utilization and determining the safety buffer of fuel elements. In addition to his research, Carl was committed to mentoring and promoting junior researchers and students.