News
Federal Ministry funds new research group at HU on resilient urban landscapes
Dr Thilo Wellmann develops monitoring tools for green municipal infrastructure:
Three new research groups for young scientists are working at Humboldt University in Berlin (HU), including Dr Thilo Wellmann's group at the Institute of Geography in Adlershof, which is funded by the Federal Ministry…
Adlershof Dissertation Prize for 2025 goes to Dr Sascha Gaudlitz
The mathematician developed new statistical methods for reconstructing hidden dynamics in spatiotemporal systems:
On 11 February 2026, the Adlershof Dissertation Prize was awarded once again. Dr Sascha Gaudlitz received the prize, worth €3,000, which is jointly sponsored and organised each year by Humboldt University of Berlin,…
Young researchers compete for the Adlershof Dissertation Prize
From physics-based GaN models to statistical tools for complex systems to scaffolding with unusual molecules:
On 11 February, three young researchers will present the topic of their recently completed dissertations in short lectures live at the Erwin Schrödinger Centre on the Adlershof campus. Afterwards, a jury will evaluate…
HU geographers appointed to NASA's Landsat Science Team
Prof Dr Patrick Hostert and Dr Dirk Pflugmacher will contribute their expertise to one of the world's most important earth observation programmes:
The two geographers Prof Dr Patrick Hostert and Dr Dirk Pflugmacher from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin are part of the interdisciplinary research group "Synergistic Data Processing Pipelines for Landsat and European…
Just after the Big Bang
Heiko Lacker is searching for previously unknown elementary particles:
The very substance that makes up the universe still holds many mysteries. Heiko Lacker, professor of experimental particle physics at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, explores the microcosm of matter and antimatter…
Game space
gamelab.berlin highlights how interactive worlds drive society and technology forward:
A woodcutter goes about his work. A fisherman hauls in his net. Loaves of bread are stacked high at the market, while nearby shutters rattle open. A small town awakens. However, this town is not somewhere in…
ALISE: New application lab for in situ electron microscopy strengthens research and SMEs in Berlin-Adlershof
A new generation of state-of-the-art instruments has been put into operation by IKZ and HU:
A major milestone has been reached at the Joint Lab for Electron Microscopy (JEMA) of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung (IKZ): under the ERDF-funded project ALISE…
The timekeeper
Oliver Fartmann is working on an improved atomic clock:
What are the paths into science and research? “I was quite good at maths, I think,” says Oliver Fartmann. Good enough, at any rate, to catch the attention of his physics teacher at the Archenhold Gymnasium in…
Too warm for comfort
Climate researcher Tobias Sauter studies the melting of glaciers:
Nowhere are the effects of climate change more visible than in the world’s glaciers. The loss of ice masses is immense. Climate researcher Tobias Sauter investigates how and why the melting of glaciers is…
New findings about the ageing brain
Researchers from HU uncover genetic causes and modifiable risks in a study involving more than 56,000 participants:
Why do some brains age faster than others – and which factors play a role in this? Given the rise in life expectancy worldwide and the increase in age-related diseases such as dementia, answering this question is of…
What vibrating molecules might reveal about cell biology
At BESSY II, molecular vibrations in tiny biological samples can now be detected and analysed:
Infrared vibrational spectroscopy at BESSY II can be used to create high-resolution maps of molecules inside live cells and cell organelles in native aqueous environment, according to a new study by a team from HZB…
HU research team develops new quantum sensor
Defects in the crystal lattice of materials can be measured in real time and with unprecedented precision:
From computer chips to quantum dots—technological platforms such as these were only made possible thanks to a detailed understanding of the used solid-state materials, such as silicon or more complex semiconductor…
Markus Krutzik and Tim Schröder among the 100 most important minds in science 2025
Quantum researchers from the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut honoured by Tagesspiegel newspaper:
Markus Krutzik and Tim Schröder have been named among the 100 most important figures in the Berlin science community for 2025. Through their work in quantum sensing and quantum photonics, they make crucial…
Fully charged
The newly founded Berlin Battery Lab (BBL) combines the expertise of three research institutions:
The newly founded Berlin Battery Lab (BBL) combines the expertise of the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Humboldt University of Berlin (HU)…
The Startup Factory
More than 50 partners from the fields of science, business, politics, and society have formed the UNITE alliance to increase the number of start-ups in Berlin and Brandenburg:
An ecosystem for science-based startups has recently been created with UNITE, an alliance of over 50 partners from the fields of science, business, politics, and society in Berlin-Brandenburg. Laura Möller, CEO of…
BR50 and BUA strengthen Berlin as a center of knowledge and innovation
Strategic partnership agreed between Berlin Research 50 (BR50) and Berlin University Alliance (BUA):
On August 18, 2025, Berlin Research 50 (BR50), represented by its chairwoman Prof. Dr. Jutta Allmendinger and deputy chairman Prof. Dr. Thomas Sommer, and the Berlin University Alliance (BUA), represented by its…
Practical help with implementing sustainability demands
SOS Starter Kit supports small and medium-sized enterprises in operating in a more environmentally friendly manner:
As micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) across Europe adapt to rising sustainability demands, the Erasmus+ Start on Sustainability (SOS) project is delivering new tools to facilitate this step. Supported…
New method for the mechanical formation of three-dimensional molecular structures
HU researchers develop light-powered nano-motor and use it to create ring-shaped, intertwined molecules:
Threads or ropes can easily be used for braiding, knotting, and weaving. In chemistry, however, processing molecular strands in this way is an almost impossible task. This is because molecules are not only tiny, they…
Perfectly Imperfect: Disorder in Materials Enables Ultra-Fast Charging
Researchers at Humboldt-Universität develop unusual strategy to increase battery performance:
Led by Prof. Dr. Nicola Pinna and Dr. Patrícia Russo from the Department of Chemistry at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), scientists have succeeded in disrupting the atomic order of batteries in a targeted manner.…
Berlin Science Award goes to Philipp Adelhelm
The materials scientist and electrochemist researches and develops sodium-ion batteries at HU and HZB:
Battery researcher Prof. Dr. Philipp Adelhelm has been awarded the 2024 Berlin Science Award. He is a professor at the Institute of Chemistry at Humboldt University in Berlin (HU) and heads a joint research group at…