Senior Professorship awarded to Prof. Dr. Jan Louis

23 April 2026

Photo: UHH/MIN/Fuchs

Prof. Dr. Jan Louis (right) with Prof. Dr. Rolf-Dieter Heuer, a board member of the Wilhelm und Else Heraeus Foundation.

Photo: UHH/MIN/Fuchs

Prof. Dr. Erika Garutti (QU/UHH), Dr. Stefan Jorda (WEH), Prof. Dr. Rolf-Dieter Heuer (WEH), Prof. Dr. Beate Heinemann (DESY), Prof. Dr. Jan Louis (UHH), Prof. Dr. Tilo Böhmann (UHH), Prof. Dr. Rolf Greve (FHH) and Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren (UHH) (from left to right)

On 21 April, Quantum Universe Principal Investigator and former cluster spokesperson Prof. Dr. Jan Louis was awarded a Wilhelm und Else Heraeus Senior Professorship for his innovative teaching concepts in the field of physics. The ceremony was organized jointly with the Wilhelm und Else Heraeus Foundation as part of a special colloquium of the University of Hamburg and DESY.

As part of the Senior Professorship, Jan Louis, along with Rolf-Dieter Heuer, a board member of the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation, will lead two major initiatives: Firstly, the development of a "School of Science" at the Science City Hamburg-Bahrenfeld—an extensive expansion of the existing research campus of the University, DESY, and other research institutions. Further, they will be reforming the physics teacher-education programme at the University of Hamburg, with the new school placing a strong emphasis on STEM subjects.

In addition to the welcome address by Prof. Beate Heinemann (DESY), Dr. Rolf Greve (FHH), and Prof. Tilo Böhmann (UHH) at the award ceremony, Prof. Dieter Lüst from the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich gave an engaging colloquium talk on "Strings, the Swampland, and Primordial Black Holes," which added to the rich program of the event. 

Jan Louis has played a key role in shaping the research landscape in Hamburg, fostering collaborations between University of Hamburg and DESY, and leading initiatives like the Cluster of Excellence Quantum Universe.