New Group Leader in the Theory Department

The Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Matthias Kick as Group Leader in the Theory Department. Since April 2024, Dr. Kick has been leading the group „Light Matter Interactions in Energy Materials".

Dr. Kick brings an impressive academic and research-oriented career to the Fritz Haber Institute. After completing his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Chemistry at the Technical University of Munich, where he developed an early interest in theoretical chemistry, he also earned his Ph.D. there. His doctoral thesis, supervised by Prof. Harald Oberhofer, focused on the implementation of DFT+U and its application in simulating polarons in oxide and battery materials.

His postdoctoral career took him to prestigious institutions. Initially, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Technical University of Munich, followed by a position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) under the guidance of Prof. Troy Van Voorhis. During his time at MIT, Dr. Kick dedicated himself to method development for HPC applications (TDDFT), modeling of quantum dots, and research in quantum computing.

In addition to his research activities, Dr. Kick has made significant contributions as a software developer for FHIaims, highlighting his expertise in theoretical chemistry and computational materials science.

In his new role at the Fritz Haber Institute, Dr. Kick will leverage his extensive knowledge and experience to lead innovative research projects in the field of electronic structure theory and light matter interaction. His work promises to make significant contributions to the Theory Department and the scientific community at large.

The Fritz Haber Institute warmly welcomes Dr. Matthias Kick and looks forward to the collaboration.