Sebastian Keckert wins Young Scientist Award for Accelerator Physics
Dr. Sebastian Keckert erhielt den Nachwuchspreis für Beschleunigerphysik der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft (DPG). © HZB/A. Meseck
Dr Sebastian Keckert has been awarded the Young Scientist Award for Accelerator Physics of the German Physical Society (DPG). The prize is endowed with 5000 euros and was presented to him on 21.03. during the spring conference in Berlin. It honours the physicist's outstanding achievements in the development of new superconducting thin-film material systems for cavities.
Cavities are key components of accelerators. They accelerate the particles with the help of electric fields. Superconducting cavities are already used at several accelerator facilities around the world, all of which have so far relied on niobium as a superconducting material. "The next big step are cavities in which superconducting thin films are used," explains Sebastian Keckert. "This would allow operating cavities at 4 Kelvin instead of 2 Kelvin. As a result, significant energy savings could be reached. In addition, simpler cooling systems can be used, which opens up completely new applications for superconducting particle accelerators."
To evaluate the superconducting thin-film materials in question, test conditions in an accelerator environment need to be as realistic as possible. It is to Eckert's credit that he has decisively developed the principle of the quadrupole resonator for testing superconducting materials. These improvements are now used in several laboratories worldwide. He thus laid the foundation for precise and comprehensive characterisation of the high-frequency properties of new superconducting material systems.
Sebastian Keckert studied physics at the University of Siegen and came to the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin for his doctorate, where he subsequently spent his postdoctoral period. Afterwards, he has been working as a researcher at the Science and Technology of Accelerating Systems Institute since 2022.
About the prize
The Young Scientist Award for Accelerator Physics honours outstanding scientific contributions in the field of accelerator physics made at an early stage of research, primarily at a German university or research institution. It is awarded annually to researchers who completed their doctorate no more than five years ago. The prize is endowed with 5,000 euros and is awarded by the Accelerator Physics Working Group (AKBP) together with external sponsors.
- From Colombia to Berlin: Finding My Way in a New WorldIt was almost 11 p.m. when I arrived in Berlin. After a long journey from Colombia, all I wanted was to get to my accommodation, take a shower, and finally sleep.
Instead, I missed my train. Thinking it would follow the same route as the previous one as it would in my hometown of Medellín I confidently boarded the next train. About twenty minutes later, I realized something was wrong. I was heading in the wrong direction.
As if that was not enough, my phone battery was almost empty. Suddenly, I found myself alone in a city I had never visited before, late at night, speaking a language I did not understand, with no idea how to get back.
This was not how I had imagined the beginning of my first international trip....
- Cool vaccines in rural Kenya: solar solution has been awarded by UNIn May 2026, Tabitha Awuor Amollo is spending some weeks as a guest scientist at HZB, analysing perovskite thin films at BESSY II. The Kenyan physicist from Egerton University, Nairobi, was recently recognised for her achievements in research and teaching. For the development of a solar-powered refrigeration system for use in rural health centres, she has been awarded the 2026 Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD)-Elsevier Foundation Award. An interview on exceptional projects and daily struggles of a scientist. Questions were asked by Antonia Rötger.
- Too old for research at 60? From nuclear physics to papyrus researchA career in science can be personally fulfilling. However, this also means accepting the unpredictable: research topics may no longer receive funding, and laboratories may close. Heinz-Eberhard Mahnke experienced this first-hand when he had to seek new challenges in his early 60s. Today, the 81-year-old is still active in research, using non-destructive measurement methods to examine ancient artefacts of inestimable cultural value. Antonia Rötger spoke with this extraordinary researcher, whose curiosity and drive are truly inspiring.