A duo for BESSY III light source

Since 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.

Dear Renske, dear Andreas, a new chapter for our huge BESSY III project is now beginning with you. What do you bring to the table?

Renske van der Veen: Energy and enthusiasm for the project and also for teamwork! I love working with lots of people to achieve something big. For me, BESSY III is a fantastic opportunity to put all this into practice, and I also bring the necessary pragmatism to the table.

Andreas Jankowiak: I bring 15 years of experience at HZB in various management positions and experience from different committees. For example, I have been chairing the machine advisory committee of Diamond II (successor to Diamond, UK) for six years. This gives me a sense of what is happening around us in this field and how things are developing there. I am also enthusiastic that we are a research centre with our own strong research profile, which benefits greatly from our large-scale facility BESSY. For me, this connection is an absolute added value.

What motivated you to take on this project leadership as a duo?

Renske van der Veen: I'll use an analogy that I like: the technical management with Andreas represents the heart of the facility, i.e. the accelerator and the infrastructure. My team and I represent the senses of the facility. It is an interplay of machines, scientific instruments and research opportunities; only together can it work and form a unit.

Andreas Jankowiak: I agree. I have always said that I can only imagine two people leading this project. I am convinced that we can develop a common position with our two areas, which are very closely intertwined. And I will not live to see its completion in my professional career, so it's good that you, Renske, will be the face of BESSY III.

Renske van der Veen: I've heard this point mentioned often here among my colleagues. But that's exactly where I want to start and further develop our culture. BESSY III is a cross-generational project, and everyone has their place. This project is a wonderful opportunity to really go the extra mile, no matter where you are in your career. I want to say to everyone: you have the chance to be part of something that will be known worldwide, something lasting. It's your legacy!

Andreas Jankowiak (laughs): That brings me back to the team spirit and the desire to work with lots and lots of people and listen to them in order to move things forward together.

Renske van der Veen: Yes, exactly! It's not a solo effort; BESSY III can only be created if we work together as one big team. All colleagues need to be aware of the crucial role they play and the pioneering work they are doing. In 10-15 years, we will have the most modern synchrotron in the world for many years to come!

Where does the BESSY III project currently stand?

Andreas Jankowiak: We have a special concept for the machine. Our claim for BESSY III is: we are not just building an accelerator that can do something better than others, we see BESSY III as a whole. A new facility with great prospects, resulting from an excellent accelerator, new undulator and beamline technologies, new experimental possibilities, new laboratory environments, automation, and more.

By the end of the year, we will finalise a report, the Conceptual Design Report. In it, we describe a clear vision from the acceleration of the electrons to their use. We will then develop the Technical Design Report. This will cover the technical details of the plans and the time and cost planning. In 2028, we want to apply for the next call for the national roadmap for prioritising large research infrastructures. Every four years, the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space calls on research institutions to submit applications for funding for large-scale projects in Germany. Our goal is to be on this national roadmap to secure funding for BESSY III!

What new perspectives will BESSY III bring?

Renske van der Veen: HZB is very strong in both basic and applied research. Society expects this transfer from research into everyday life. And with BESSY III, we want to take this claim even further. For example, with the so-called Signature Instruments, which are complete experimental setups designed jointly with industry and researchers to tackle socially relevant topics. The chemical industry, for example, is very interested in our catalysis research, and in the semiconductor industry, we are taking the technology to a whole new level with our partner, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt [National Metrology Institute in Germany].

I also see huge opportunities in automation and AI. The industry is currently undergoing a transformation, and what is new today will be standard in a few years. We are integrating these technologies from the ground up in the new BESSY III building. Agility is the key here!

The questions were asked by Florentine Krawatzek.

> More information about the BESSY III project

Short CVs of the BESSY III leadership team:

Renske van der Veen has been Head of the Atomic Dynamics in Light-Energy Conversion Department at HZB and Professor at the Technical University of Berlin since June 2021. From 2015 to 2021, she was Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; and prior to that, she led a project group at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in cooperation with DESY from 2013 to 2015. As a postdoctoral researcher, she worked in the group of Nobel Prize winner Ahmed H. Zewail at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). She received her PhD from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry with honours from ETH Zurich. She has received numerous awards for her research, including the Sofja Kovalevskaja Prize, the Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering, and an NSF CAREER Award.

Andreas Jankowiak is Technical Director of BESSY II and Head of the Institute for Accelerator Operation, Development and Technology at HZB. He is also a university professor of accelerator physics at the Institute of Physics at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin. From 2005 to 2010, he headed accelerator operation and development at the Mainz Microtron at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; he was also acting Head of the Accelerators and Integrated Detectors section at the Helmholtz Institute Mainz before moving to HZB in 2010. He studied physics at the University of Dortmund, graduating with distinction in 1994 and completing his doctorate in 2000. His scientific achievements have been recognised with awards including the Best Diploma Award from the Society of Friends of the University of Dortmund and the Silver Pin of Honour from DESY.