Emeritus Scientific Members

PROF. MATTHIAS SCHEFFLER

Director at the Institute 1988 - 2020

Theory Department

Main areas of research: Theoretical physics, electron structure theory, materials science, big data

Ongoing research: leads the group The NOMAD Laboratory (Novel Materials Discovery), funded by ERC-Advanced Grant (2017-2020; 2020-2023)

Member of the Leopoldina, German National Academy of Sciences

Coordinator of BigMax, the Max Planck Network for „Big‐Data‐Driven Materials Science“

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PROF. HAJO FREUND

Director at the Institute 1995 - 2019

Chemical Physics Department

Main areas of research: physics and chemistry of solid surfaces, structure and dynamics of oxide surfaces,  model systems for heterogeneous catalysis, nanostructures and clusters

Actively working on an Advanced Grant (Cryvisil) by the European Research Council, dealing with the transformation between crystalline and vitreous silica via real time STM imaging.

1995 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize

Member of Berlin-Brandenburgische Academy of Science

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PROF. GERHARD ERTL

Director at the Institute 1986 - 2004

Physical Chemistry Department

Main areas of research: chemical processes occurring at the interface of solids and gases or liquids (electrolytes), mechanisms of heterogeneously catalyzed reactions, coupling of (nonlinear) reaction kinetics with transport process, such as surface diffusion of adsorbed species or migration of ions in an electrolyte.

2007 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Member of the Leopoldina, German National Academy of Sciences

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PROF. ALEXANDER M. BRADSHAW

Director at the Institute 1980 - 1999

Surface Physics Department

Main areas of research: plasma physics, photoelectron diffraction, atomic and molecular photoionization using synchrotron radiation

Continues to work on general questions of future energy supply and on the concept of sustainability in connection with the use of mineral resources.

Former Scientific Director of the Berlin synchrotron radiation source, BESSY

1994 Max Planck Research Prize (together with Philip Woodruff)

Scientific Director of the Max-Planck Institute for Plasma Physics from 1999 until 2008

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