LUH looks forward to welcoming Prof. Dr. Robert Raußendorf as an Alexander von Humboldt Professor!

In 2003, Prof. Dr. Robert Raußendorf completed his doctorate at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich. As a postdoc, he joined the Caltech (California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, United States) and subsequently the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Canada. Afterwards, he continued his academic career at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada: He became an assistant professor at UBC in 2008, an associate professor in 2013 and a full professor in 2021. He was a Sloan Research Fellow in 2009. This programme recognises outstanding researchers who have the potential to revolutionise their field. In 2021, he received the CAP-CRM Prize in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics of the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) and the Centre de Recherches Mathémathiques (CRM) of the University of Montreal. In summer 2023, he will join the LUH Faculty of Mathematics and Physics as an Alexander von Humboldt Professor. This is the first Alexander von Humboldt Professorship for LUH.

The Alexander von Humboldt Professorship is the most prestigious research award in Germany and brings top international researchers to German universities. Funding usually amounts to five million euros for researchers in experimental disciplines and 3.5 million euros for researchers working in theoretical disciplines like Prof. Dr. Raußendorf. Funding is provided for a period of five years, which can be extended by up to two years. The money can be used flexibly; it is usually used for establishing research teams or for acquiring equipment.

The Alexander von Humboldt Professorship is intended to enable award winners to successfully continue their work in Germany. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation awards up to ten professorships per year, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. German universities and research institutions can nominate researchers from all disciplines from abroad who hold a leading international position in their field. Citizenship is not a decisive factor in the selection process. Approximately half of the award winners are German citizens returning from abroad.

In addition to outstanding academic achievements of the candidates, decisive factors include the concepts of the universities, which should offer the researchers and their teams a permanent perspective in Germany. The award winners are expected to make a lasting contribution to Germany’s international competitiveness as a research location through their scientific work made possible via the award.