Physikerin der Woche 2025

Starting from January 2018, the German Physical Society's working group on equal opportunities (AKC) has been regularly featuring women in physics who are based in Germany or German women who are working in the field of physics abroad.

If you are a woman working in the field of physics in Germany or a German woman working in physics abroad and would like to showcase your work through the "Physikerin der Woche" initiative, then don't hesitate to get in touch with Dr. Ulrike Boehm at . This opportunity is open to women in physics at all career stages, whether they are from academia or industry. Moreover, you are also welcome to recommend suitable candidates for the initiative.

You can find an article and posters about our initiative in the April 2018 issue and 2021 / 2022 / 2023 issues of the Physik-Journal. You are welcome to print the posters and promote our initiative at your research institution. To view previous participants from past years, please refer to the following resources: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 20222023 und 2024.

Further interesting information on the topic of career preparation for physicists can also be found on the following DPG pages:  Berufsvorbereitendes Programm der DPG and DPG-Berufsvorbereitung online der jDPG

January

Dr. Andrea Bergschneider (Bonn) - Kalenderwoche 4

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Andrea_Bergschneider_Physikerin.JPG

Andrea is an experimental physicist at the Institute of Physics of the University of Bonn, where she explores quantum phenomena in two-dimensional systems using two experimental platforms: ultracold quantum gases and van der Waals semiconductors.

During her Master's and PhD, Andrea focused on deterministic few-atom systems in optical tweezers. In these ultracold-atom experiments she developed a new atom-resolved imaging technique and studied the built-up of strong correlations and quantum entanglement. Drawn by her interest in quantum optics and condensed matter, she pursued a postdoc at ETH Zurich, where she studied cryogenically cooled two-dimensional monolayer semiconductors -- layered crystals bond by weak van der Waals forces. Her work included investigating their optical properties and interactions within optical cavities.

In 2021, Andrea joined the University of Bonn as a senior researcher, where she co-supervises an experiment on fermions in two-dimensional optical lattices. Since 2023, she has led an independent project on transition-metal dichalcogenides as part of the Cluster of Excellence "Matter and Light for Quantum Computing." Her unique expertise in both synthetic and natural two-dimensional materials allows her to connect atomic, quantum optic, and solid-state quantum science and transfer ideas between these fields.

Foto-Rechte: Moritz Scharfstädt

Dr. Lisanne Sellies (Zurich, Switzerland) - Kalenderwoche 3

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Lisanne is a postdoctoral researcher at IBM Research Europe – Zurich in the group of Dr. Leo Gross. She studied chemistry at Radboud University in the Netherlands and then completed her PhD in physics (in Prof. Dr. Jascha Repp’s group) at the University of Regensburg in Germany. Her research focuses on single molecules on insulating surfaces. These molecules can be imaged with atomic-scale spatial resolution using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). By steering single electrons between the AFM tip and the molecule under study, different molecular properties can be examined. During her PhD, Lisanne expanded the scope of properties that can be measured in this way by developing new methods. She demonstrated that electron spin resonance signals of a single molecule can be measured using AFM. In addition, she set up a technique to access the relative energies of ground and excited electronic states of a single molecule and to prepare the molecule in defined excited states. During her postdoc at IBM Research Europe – Zurich, she plans to use the techniques she pioneered to investigate on-surface chemistry induced by the AFM tip.

Lisanne receives the Gustav Hertz Prize 2025 from the DGP 'For the development of a new method that for the first time measured electron spin resonance with a scanning force microscope on individual molecules.'

Foto-Rechte: Gregory Czap

Dr. Kristiane Bernhard-Novotny (Geneva, Switzerland) - Kalenderwoche 2

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Kristiane_Bernhard-Novotny_Physikerin.png
Kristiane obtained her PhD in theoretical physics from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. She then joined a startup, applying her expertise to analyze flight data and develop quantum computing machine-learning algorithms designed to improve aviation safety. During this time, she discovered her passion for science communication, which led her to become an associate editor of the CERN Courier, a well-known international magazine that reports on developments in high-energy physics.

Now part of CERN’s Experimental Areas group, Kristiane works as a Communications Officer, combining her technical expertise with effective science communication. She supports a wide range of projects, including the Physics Beyond Colliders Initiative, the International Muon Collider Collaboration, and the many fixed-target experiments at CERN. In addition to creating tailored communication strategies and writing articles for CERN’s website and international journals, she actively advocates for these projects, ensuring they receive the visibility and support they deserve within the scientific community and beyond.

 

Foto-Rechte: Laurie Nevay

Dr. Johanna K. Jochum (Garching) - Kalenderwoche 1

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Johanna is an instrument scientist at the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) in Garching, where she is responsible for the resonant spin-echo spectrometer RESEDA. Her work focuses on advancing neutron scattering techniques with a particular emphasis on the MIEZE (modulation of intensity with zero effort) method for thermal wavelengths, which allows for the precise study of dynamic phenomena in materials.

Johanna's scientific interests center on superconductivity and magnetic phenomena, including magnetic phase transitions and unconventional magnetic order. During her PhD at KU Leuven, she explored interface phenomena in magnetic nanostructures, gaining extensive experience in large-scale facilities for x-ray and neutron scattering to investigate the magnetic and vibrational properties of these systems. Her research continues to bridge experimental techniques and fundamental insights into the complex behaviors of materials.

Johanna completed her Bachelor's and Master's degrees at ETH Zurich. For her Master's thesis in the group of Bertram Batlogg, she studied "Transport properties in SmFeAs(O, F)," delving into the fascinating field of iron-based superconductors. She brings this rich background and her passion for cutting-edge instrumentation to her current work, contributing to the development of neutron scattering techniques and the understanding of magnetic systems.

 

Foto-Rechte: Astrid Eckert, TUM

 

Hier geht es zu den Teilnehmerinnen der Physikerin der Woche 201820192020202120222023 und 2024 Projekte.