XFEL: Maria Faury to continue as chair of the European XFEL Council

At the European XFEL Council meeting held on 18–19 June 2020, Maria Faury was re-appointed chair of the council, and Prof. Martin Meedom Nielsen was re-appointed vice chair. The council is the highest governing body of the company and functions as the shareholders’ assembly deciding on important issues of the company and its X-ray laser facility.

Maria Faury, who was first appointed in 2018, has an engineering background and is Director of International Affairs and Large Research Infrastructures of the Fundamental Research Division at the Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) in France.

Martin Meedom Nielsen, from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), served two terms as chair prior to Maria Faury stepping into the role. Under their mandates, they have overseen important milestones that the European XFEL has reached, from the start of the operation phase in 2017 to its 10-year anniversary in 2019.

With the additional complexities arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, staff and users have a challenging year ahead of them. “I was regularly informed about the evolution of the situation, and we discussed intensively the way to deal with this crisis, having in mind the safety of the staff and the preservation of the facility,” says Faury. “I am happy to report that, during the 31st council meeting, the shareholders commended the European XFEL management for their reactivity and responsible approach. Now, together, we will look more deeply into the scientific and financial impact of this crisis, aiming to come back to normal as soon as possible with all the experience of lessons learned,” she adds.

Nielsen shares the sentiment on the future outlook and says, “In the next few years, I am confident that the European XFEL will continue to fulfil its potential as a world-leading facility across all the disciplines embodied in the six instruments.”

More information:

Questions and Answers with Maria Faury