PhD 2001 with distinction TU Munich, Oberass./Habil. ETH Zürich. 2007 at ICFO, pioneered mid-IR photonics, attosecond soft X-rays and laser-induced electron diffraction with breakthroughs in molecular dynamics and quantum many-body dynamics in materials. Editor OPTICA and Ultrafast Science; Fellow of Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes; Fellow of Optica; Fellow of the American Physical Society; Thousand Talents Program Award China; OSA Allen Prize; Bessel Prize of the Humboldt Foundation; ERC Advanced Grant and Proof of Concept Grant; Professor at the University of New Mexico USA; Guest Professor at Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society; Whitebook Extreme Light Infrastructure (1 BN €); former Executive Director Laserlab-Europe (46 infrastructures 22 countries), former Board of Chairs of Analytical Research Infrastructures of EU (40,000 researchers, 7 networks), Board of Directors at OPTICA and Chair of Meetings Council on Strategic Planning and Finance Council.

My research explores and seeks to control attosecond quantum many-body dynamics—the complex interactions between electrons and nuclei in molecules and solids. These fundamental processes shape the properties of the materials and substances that define our world. Understanding how macroscopic properties emerge from microscopic quantum interactions across all timescales offers the “master key” to advancing fundamental science and driving transformative real-world applications. This realization has led to powerful and unique new methodologies which allow us to address this universal challenge independent of whether we look at chemical reactions or materials physics and correlated matter, as demonstrated by our research over the last years. Our methods apply to a wide range of questions in correlated quantum matter, phase transitions, and chemical reactions, with relevance in fundamental science and diverse applications for superconductivity, computation, clean energy and energy storage.