Australian top-chemist gains Helmholtz International Fellowship to visit HZB and HZDR
Prof. Dr. Leone Spiccia will spent research time at HZB next spring.
Prof. Dr. Leone Spiccia from the Monash University Melbourne was awarded the Helmholtz International Fellowship. In addition to the prize money of €20,000 each, he is invited to conduct research at HZB in Berlin and HZDR in Dresden. At HZB he is expected in spring 2015 in the group of Prof. Dr. Emad Aziz. The award honours excellent research and supports establishing new cooperation structures with international research institutions.
Scientists from HZDR and HZB nominated Prof Spiccia. HZB scientists Prof. Dr. Emad Aziz, Prof. Dr. Klaus Lips und Dr. Alexander Schnegg underligned his significant contributions to energy materials research, whereas Dr. Holger Stephan und Prof. Jörg Steinbach from HZDR acknowledged his results on nanomaterials in cancer research.
In total, eight outstanding scientists have been selected as Helmholtz International Fellows this year. Candidates must be nominated for the award by a Helmholtz Centre working in a similar research field as the respective candidates. The quality of the candidates' research is the most important criterion for the award. Nominations may be made at any time. The Helmholtz Executive Committee selects the award winners.
More information at Helmholtz Association
- Berlin Battery Lab: BAM, HZB and HU are conducting joint research on sodium batteriesThe Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) today officially inaugurated the Berlin Battery Lab (BBL). At this new research platform, BAM, HZB and HU jointly develop and test resource-efficient battery technologies with a focus on sodium-based systems. Together, they develop new materials, investigate innovative cell chemistries, and produce battery prototypes. The research infrastructure of the Berlin Battery Lab is also open to external partners from science and industry and is designed to accelerate the transfer from research to application.
- A duo for BESSY III light sourceSince 1 March 2026, Renske van der Veen and Andreas Jankowiak have formed the leadership team of BESSY III. Together, they will drive forward HZB’s central project: the planning and realisation of BESSY III light source in Berlin-Adlershof. Here, they talk about their motivation, the next steps, and why BESSY III is a a cross-generational project.
- Humboldt-Fellow at HZB-Institute for Solar Fuels: Alexander R. UhlAlexander R. Uhl, UBC Okanagan School of Engineering in Kelowna, Canada, aims to develop with Roel van de Krol from the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels an efficient and inexpensive photoelectrolyser for producing hydrogen using sunlight. His stay is being funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.