HZB-magazine lichtblick - the new issue is out!
In the cover story we introduce Astrid Brandt. She is Head of User Coordination at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. She and her team keep constant track of applications, measurement times and publications of the 1000 guest researchers who come to BESSY II each year.
She has always been fascinated by science. But she has also never let go of her other passion, which is music.
Click here for the online issue (English)
Topics include:
- p. 8: Modernisation of BESSY II light source
- p. 12: Evaluation of the mobility survey
- p. 14: Shaping corporate culture together
- p. 18: Artifical intelligence at HZB
- p. 22: Interview with the new Head of the People Operations department
- p. 25: New radiotherapy
- p. 26: 20 years of the School Lab
- p. 30: Behind the scenes: Tino Müller
- p. 32: Prizes and Personalia
- p. 34: Riddle
- p. 35: Recipe
We hope you enjoy reading this issue! As always, we welcome your feedback and suggestions for topics.
Your editorial team
- Electrocatalysts: New model for charge separation at the solid-liquid interfaceHydrogen is at the heart of the transition to carbon neutrality, as both an energy carrier and a reagent for green chemistry. However, large-scale production of hydrogen via electrolysis, as well as the production of many other chemical products, requires significantly cheaper and more efficient catalysts. A precise understanding of the electrochemical processes that take place at the interface between the solid catalyst and the liquid medium is highly useful for developing better electrocatalysts. In the journal Nature Communications, an European team has now presented a powerful model that determines charge separation at the interface, the formation of the electric double layer and local electric potential variations, and the resulting influence on the catalytic activity.
- AI-driven Catalyst Discovery: €30 million funding for German consortiumSix partners from research and industry, including Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), the Fritz-Haber-Institute of the Max Planck Society (FHI), BASF, Dunia Innovations, Siemens Energy, and the Technical University Berlin are launching a joint project to accelerate the catalyst discovery. The German Federal Ministry for Science, Technology and Space (BMFTR) is providing €30 million in funding for ASCEND (Accelerated Solutions for Catalysis using Emerging Nanotechnology and Digital Innovation). The research initiative targets the defossilisation of energy-intensive industries while safeguarding industrial competitiveness, with a focus on the chemical sector. The five-year project will start on 1st April 2026.
- Kick-off for a new data and AI centre in BerlinBy establishing a new data and AI centre in Berlin, the Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) are laying the foundations for a scalable and sovereign data infrastructure in the capital. The project strengthens the scientific capabilities of Berlin’s research community whilst making an important contribution to research security, resilience and technological independence.