News
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…
Staying on the ball
Why Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin's sports campus in Adlershof is being expanded:
With an increasing number of places in sports science courses, the demand for university sports courses is also growing. Because of this, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin is set to expand its Adlershof sports…
How quantum particles communicate
Nanophysicist Günter Kewes brings complex physics to life during Berlin’s Long Night of the Sciences:
We owe solar panels, smartphones, MRI scanners, and even supermarket barcode readers to quantum physics. For this reason, the UN General Assembly has declared 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and…
FBH and HU strengthen cooperation in quantum technologies
Another Joint Lab launched / New professorship for Integrated Quantum Sensors:
With the new Joint Lab Integrated Nonlinear Quantum Optics, the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH) and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin are strengthening their strategic partnership in the emerging field of quantum…
Full of energy: Adlershof is on the move
Fitness, ball games, or running – the campus offers plenty of options. How passionate is its scientific community about sports?:
While working from home, Faruk Garic came to the callisthenics park at Alexander-von-Humboldt-Weg during his lunch break. “I live just one street away with my family. I’ll do exercises for arms, shoulders, and core…
ERC Advanced Grants for two HU research projects
Gökce Yurdakul from the Institute of Social Sciences and Hans Börner from the Institute of Chemistry each receive funding of almost 2.5 million euros:
For her project ‘MENBELONG – Belonging for Single Migrant Men: A Cross-Country Comparative Perspective’, Prof Dr Gökce Yurdakul will receive almost EUR 2.5 million as part of an ERC Advanced Grant, of which around…
Marco Stucki wins Berlin University Alliance ideas competition
His quantum research project ‘Sawfish Cavity’ is now being used for a poster campaign in Berlin:
Marco Stucki has won the Berlin University Alliance's open knowledge lab competition with a novel process for manufacturing tiny diamond structures for quantum technologies. “Art meets Science” was the motto under…
Joint Berlin Data & AI Center planned
Declaration of intent signed by Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Max Delbrück Center, Berlin University Alliance, and Zuse Institute Berlin:
Data-driven research is crucial for tackling societal challenges – whether in health, materials, or climate research. In a collaboration that is so far unique, Berlin University Alliance (BUA), the Max Delbrück…