XFEL: Robert Feidenhans’l appointed Chairman of the Management Board

Prof. Robert Feidenhans’l has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Management Board of the European XFEL GmbH. The X-ray physicist, aged 58, is currently head of the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He is also a member of the European XFEL Council, the supreme organ of the company, for which he served as a chairman from 2010 to 2014. Feidenhans’l will join European XFEL as of 1 January 2017. His predecessor Prof. Massimo Altarelli, who has been at the head of the non-profit company since it was founded in 2009, will retire at the age of 68 at the end of the year.

Robert Feidenhans’l studied at Aarhus University and holds a Ph.D. in surface physics, a field which has since evolved into nanophysics. Starting in 1983, he worked at the Risø National Laboratory in different scientific and leading positions, until joining the Niels Bohr Institute in 2005. As a researcher, he is an expert in new groundbreaking X-ray technologies and research at large-scale X-ray synchrotron research facilities, such as ESRF in France, PSI in Switzerland, and DESY in Hamburg.

Prof. Martin Meedom Nielsen, Chairman of the European XFEL Council, said: “Robert Feidenhans’l has great experience as an X-ray scientist and as a leader in science. He has been involved in the European XFEL project since the early days, and was also my predecessor as Chair of the Council. The representatives of the member countries are convinced that Robert Feidenhans’l is an excellent match for the position. We are sure that he will continue the excellent work of Massimo Altarelli in completing the construction of the facility and steer the transition into operation as a world-leading facility for X-ray science that will enable breakthroughs in many different fields of research.”

Ulla Tørnæs, Denmark’s minister for Higher Education and Science, extended her sincere congratulations to Professor Robert Feidenhans’l. “I am very pleased that he has accepted to lead this prestigious project at a very significant stage going from construction to the very first science experiments in 2017. Having Robert Feidenhans’l at the helm of European XFEL underlines Denmark’s position and engagement in the European research infrastructure landscape”, she said.

“Prof. Robert Feidenhans’l is an outstanding X-ray scientist and an international authority in the field. He is most familiar with the European XFEL”, said Prof. Helmut Dosch, Chairman of the DESY Board of Directors. “I am thus most enthusiastic that he will take over the helm of this European flagship.”

Prof. Massimo Altarelli said: “I am delighted to see the European XFEL, to which I devoted all my efforts over many years, in excellent hands. Robert Feidenhans’l is an eminent X-ray scientist, with huge prestige in the scientific community and with vast experience in the management of large research organizations, including international ones. I am sure he will lead the facility to outstanding success in its operation phase.”

Feidenhans’l said he is looking forward to his new tasks, which include ensuring a smooth transition of the facility from construction to user operation, which is scheduled to start in mid-2017. “It is an extremely exciting task to lead the European XFEL into a successful operation phase. The capabilities of the machine and its staff make this a frontier facility that will open completely new areas in science and technology. It is a great pleasure to take over after Massimo Altarelli, who has led a tremendous effort to complete the X-ray laser for operation.”

The European XFEL Management Board is composed of two managing directors—the Chairman as well as the Administrative Director, Dr. Claudia Burger—and the three scientific directors—Prof. Serguei Molodtsov, Dr. Thomas Tschentscher, and Dr. Andreas S. Schwarz.