SANDNER, Wolfgang

Director General of ELI-DC International Association AISBL

 

Wolfgang Sandner, born in 1949, studied physics at the University of Freiburg, Germany. He received his doctoral degree in 1979 and his habilitation in 1985. Between 1985 and 1990 he held professor positions at German universities in Würzburg and Freiburg, before accepting in 1991 a tenured Full Professor position at the University of Tennessee, USA. In 1993 he was appointed director of the Max Born Institute (MBI) in Berlin, Germany, combined with a Full Professor position at the Technical University in Berlin (1994 to 2014). In 2013 he left MBI to accept the position of Director General and CEO of the ELI-DC International Association AISBL, seated in Brussels, Belgium. As such he is responsible for coordinating the implementation and later operation of the European “Extreme Light Infrastructure” ELI, the first international user facility in laser research, providing research opportunities at the world’s most powerful short-pulse lasers.

 

Wolfgang Sandner is member of various national and international committees in science and science policy, and has served as adviser for national and international research organisations and governments. Between 2003 and 2013 he coordinated the European network LASERLAB-EUROPE, comprising 30 of the most important laser research infrastructures from 20 European countries. Wolfgang Sandner was President of the German Physical Society (DPG) 2010–2012, and Vice President 2012-2014. Since 2014 he is Chair of the Association of European-level Research Infrastructure Facilities ERF.

 

Wolfgang Sandner’s areas of research included atomic physics (few-particle quantum systems), laser-matter interaction at ultra-high intensities, development of short-pulse lasers of highest peak and average power, and research on and with laser-based UV- und X-ray sources. He has published more than 200 refereed publications in international journals, and has given numerous invited talks at international conferences. He is Fellow of the American Physical Society APS (1993).

 

Wolfgang Sandner is married and has a daughter and a son.

ABSTRACT

14:30-16:00 6 NOVEMBER
thematic SESSION Ii.C: international year of light