HZB expert appointed chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Barcelona Research Centre
Prof. Dr. Susan Schorr © CCEM
Prof. Dr. Susan Schorr has been appointed to the newly established Scientific Advisory Board of the Barcelona Research Centre in Multiscale Science and Engineering and elected as its chair.
The Barcelona Research Centre in Multiscale Science and Engineering (CCEM) is part of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona. It is one of the world's leading centres for materials science, particularly in the fields of micro- and nanotechnology, nanotechnology and biomaterials. In 2024, the CCEM received the ‘Excelencia María de Maeztu’ accreditation of excellence. It promotes internationally renowned research institutes that contribute significantly to the further development of Spain as a centre of science and technology.
The CCEM's Scientific Advisory Board comprises a total of seven experienced scientists from Italy, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany.
Susan Schorr heads the ‘Structure and Dynamics of Energy Materials’ (SE-ASD) department at the Helmholtz Centre Berlin and is a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the Free University of Berlin. With her team at HZB, she researches fundamental structure-property relationships of materials for energy conversion, including novel materials for solar cells.
HZB expertise in advisory boards, committees and scientific commissions
Twenty-five scientists from HZB are currently involved in scientific advisory boards, supervisory boards or similar advisory bodies. There, they contribute their recognized expertise and critical assessments, which help to ensure well-founded decisions.
- 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.
- Protein crystallography at BESSY II: faster, better and more and more automaticMany diseases are linked to malfunctions of proteins in the organism. The three-dimensional architecture of these molecules is often highly complex, but it can provide valuable insights into biological processes and the development of drugs. X-ray diffraction at the MX beamlines of BESSY II can be used to decipher the 3D structure of proteins. To date, more than 5000 structures have been solved at the three MX beamlines. Here, we present a review and an outlook with Manfred Weiss, head of the research group for macromolecular crystallography.
- 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.