New board „HZB Succeed“ has been founded
Members of the board "HZB succeed": The founding meeting showed how important the further development of our early career researchers is.
To support the development of young scientists at HZB in the best possible way - this has been a long-standing goal of the HZB. Now this task will be pursued even more strategically. To this end, the new board “HZB Succeed” has been founded in January 2022.
What does “HZB Succeed” stand for?
The members of this strategically oriented board provide impulses for high-quality support of scientists in the qualification phase, which is oriented towards the latest international standards and also meets the future scientific challenges of the HZB.
The name “HZB Succeed” stands for: HZB support, competence and career advice (for early career researchers development).
“With the strategic board, we have another important building block for optimally setting up and further developing the support of our early career researchers. The first meeting of the board was very motivational and I am looking forward to the lively exchange”, says Bernd Rech, scientific director of the HZB.
What are the goals of “HZB Succeed”?
The goal of this collaborative effort is to connect the scientific needs of the research areas at HZB more strongly to personnel development measures, and to check the current offers from the Graduate Center and the Postdoc Office for their future viability. In addition to academic career paths, non-academic career paths and the respective requirements for early career researchers will be given greater consideration in the HZB offers.
The board meets twice per year. “It is a milestone for the career support of early career researchers. With this, HZB once again makes clear how important it takes its responsibility for temporarily employed scientists”, says Christoph Scherfer, contact person of the Postdoc Office. His colleague from the HZB Graduate Center Nicole Schmid: “The new perspectives on the support of early career researchers at the center will directly benefit our target groups.”
Who is part of the board?
- Bernd Rech, scientific director
- Representatives of the scientific departments: Klaus Habicht, Atoosa Meseck, Roel van de Krol, Renske van der Veen
- On early career researchers support: Nicole Schmid (Graduate Center), Christoph Scherfer (Postdoc Office), Cécile Dufloux (HZB Stab, young investigator groups)
- On Information Technology: Ants Finke (department head IT)
- On Technology Transfer and Innovation: Paul Harten (department head GF-TTI)
- An external member from industry (planned)
- Peat as a sustainable precursor for fuel cell catalyst materialsIron-nitrogen-carbon catalysts have the potential to replace the more expensive platinum catalysts currently used in fuel cells. This is shown by a study conducted by researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and universities in Tartu and Tallinn, Estonia. At BESSY II, the team observed the formation of complex microstructures within various samples. They then analysed which structural parameters were particularly important for fostering the preferred electrochemical reactions. The raw material for such catalysts is well decomposed peat.
- Helmholtz Investigator Group on magnonsDr Hebatalla Elnaggar is setting up a new Helmholtz Investigator Group at HZB. At BESSY II, the materials scientist will investigate so-called magnons in magnetic perovskite thin films. The aim is to lay the foundations for future terahertz magnon technology: magnonic devices operating in the terahertz range could process data using a fraction of the energy required by the most advanced semiconductor devices, and at speeds up to a thousand times faster.
- Susanne Nies appointed to EU advisory group on Green DealDr. Susanne Nies heads the Green Deal Ukraina project at HZB, which aims to support the development of a sustainable energy system in Ukraine. The energy expert has now also been appointed to the European Commission's scientific advisory group to comment on regulatory burdens in connection with the net-zero target (DG GROW).