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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
German physicist Dr. Elke Plönjes-Palm and Polish physicist Prof. Jakub Szlachetko will become scientific directors at European XFEL on 1 January 2027. Following a decision by the European XFEL Council, the research organization’s highest governing body, Plönjes-Palm will head Development and Instrumentation, Szlachetko will take responsibility for Operations and Data.
Elke Plönjes-Palm has held senior positions in photon science at the research centre DESY in Hamburg. In 2002, she joined the world’s first short-wavelength free-electron laser, FLASH at DESY, as a senior scientist. She is currently group leader of Beamlines and Optics at FLASH. In this capacity she has been responsible for the photon beamline development for FLASH2 and the FLASH2020+ upgrade project. Her particular interests are beamline characterisation and automation. Prior to joining DESY, she spent six years as a visiting scientist at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, working on the generation and spectroscopy of highly non-equilibrium plasmas and their applications. Beyond her work at FLASH, Plönjes-Palm has actively represented FLASH in international collaborations such as the League of European Accelerator-based Photon Sources (LEAPS) and FELs of Europe, at FELs of Europe currently also as the chairperson. For many years, she has been scientific coordinator and principal investigator in large collaborative European and Helmholtz initiatives.
Jakub Szlachetko is an experienced scientific executive and leader of research infrastructures with more than 20 years of international experience in photon science, accelerator-based facilities, and advanced X-ray technologies. He currently serves as director of the SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Centre at Jagiellonian University in Kraków, where he leads a multidisciplinary organization and holds overall responsibility for scientific programmes, facility operations, technical infrastructure, IT and data-related activities, and strategic development. Before becoming director, he served as head of the Applied Spectroscopy Division at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. His international scientific career includes positions at the Swiss Light Source and SwissFEL at Paul Scherrer Institute and at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility ESRF. Szlachetko has also held senior roles at European research organizations and infrastructures, including Chair and Vice Chair of LEAPS, representing Europe's synchrotron and free-electron-laser facilities, and as a Polish Delegate to the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI).
The scientific directors Prof. Serguei Molodtsov and Dr. Thomas Tschentscher will leave the European XFEL Management Board at the end of their current terms of office and take on other roles within the research organization.
Prof. Thomas Feurer, Chairman of the European XFEL Management Board, and Managing Director Dr. Nicole Elleuche thanked Serguei Molodtsov and Thomas Tschentscher for their successful work and their many years of dedication: “With Serguei Molodtsov and Thomas Tschentscher, the last two founding directors are leaving the Management Board. With their expertise and dedication, they have shaped our research institution and made very significant contributions to the successful construction and operation of the facility. For this, they deserve our deepest gratitude, respect and recognition,” said Feurer. Nicole Elleuche added: “I am very grateful for the many years of trusting and highly successful collaboration, and I am delighted that we will still be able to draw on their experience for some time to come.”
At the same time, Thomas Feurer and Nicole Elleuche welcomed the two new directors: “With the strategic realignment and redistribution of responsibilities within the Management Board, we can focus even more strongly on the needs of our users and the changing requirements in the scientific community. Elke Plönjes-Palm and Jakub Szlachetko will contribute their extensive expertise and valuable experience. I am very much looking forward to working with them,” said Feurer. Nicole Elleuche added: “With our two new colleagues, the Management Board is ideally positioned to achieve the ambitious goals of our development strategy. I am also very much looking forward to tackling the tasks ahead together and wish them both a good and successful start at European XFEL.”
Prof. Ryszard Sobierajski, chair of the European XFEL Council, said: “On behalf of the European XFEL Council, I would like to sincerely thank Serguei Molodtsov and Thomas Tschentscher for their many years of dedication. Their work has constantly enhanced the research capabilities of European XFEL and helped develop a vibrant international user community. At the same time, I warmly welcome Elke Plönjes-Palm and Jakub Szlachetko, and I am sure they will find an inspiring and friendly working environment at European XFEL. Their expertise will be a great asset in meeting the challenges ahead and shaping the future of this unique facility.”
With the two new directors taking up their posts, the European XFEL Management Board will comprise the chair, Thomas Feurer, the administrative director, Nicole Elleuche, and the three scientific directors Sakura Pascarelli, Elke Plönjes-Palm and Jakub Szlachetko.
https://www.xfel.eu/news_and_events/news/index_eng.html?openDirectAnchor=3095&am... More on xfel.eu
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