Personnel announcements, Science policy

Prof. Dr. Bernd Büchner, born in 1961, has been Director of one of the five IFW institutes since 2003 and Professor of Experimental Physics at the Technical University of Dresden. He studied physics at the University of Cologne, where he also did his doctorate and habilitation. From 2000 to 2003 he held a professorship for Experimental Physics at the RWTH Aachen University. Scientifically, Bernd Büchner stands for the experimental investigation of the electronic and magnetic properties of new so-called quantum materials. These include superconductors, low-dimensional magnetic systems, topological insulators, molecular nanostructures and two-dimensional materials. At IFW Dresden, he heads the Institute of Solid State Research with 21 working groups, including three ERC groups and three junior research groups.
In his position as Scientific Director of the IFW, Bernd Büchner will be particularly concerned with the further development and positioning of the institute's unique selling points: the investigation of new phenomena in quantum materials and nanostructures with the aim of identifying and developing new functionalities and applications.
The IFW has a lot on the agenda in the near future, especially the strategic development of the institute. This includes the appointment of a new professorship together with the TU Dresden, participation in joint projects within the framework of the current strategy of excellence, the development of cooperation with the TU Chemnitz and last but not least the preparation for the Leibniz evaluation in 2021, at which the IFW again aspires to top marks.
Prof. Bernd Büchner follows in the position of Scientific Director on Prof. Burkard Hillebrands, who resigns from the post on March 31, 2018, in order to devote himself one hundred percent to his scientific work at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern.
The Administrative Director of the IFW, Dr. Doreen Kirmse: "I am very grateful to Prof. Hillebrands for his efforts. As Scientific Director of the IFW he has been particularly committed to the visibility of our research both internationally and locally in Dresden. At the same time, I am sure that IFW's executive board with Professor Büchner as Scientific Director is optimally positioned for the tasks that are now ahead of us. Bernd Büchner has been one of the institute for almost 15 years, is strongly tied to IFW and is very well established in Dresden. I look forward to a constructive and close cooperation with him.”