The Walter-Greiner-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der physikalischen Grundlagenforschung (for the support of foundational research in physics, WGG) awarded two Laureatus professorships for outstanding achievements in research and teaching. As a part of the 24th academic summer ceremony of the physics department at Goethe-University, the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) and the WGG several physicists were honoured. Prof. Dr. Luciano Rezzolla received the prestigious Carl Wilhelm Fueck Laureate Professorship for his work in the field of theoretical astrophysics. For many years he has conducted research as a Senior Fellow at FIAS and has been a part of the board of directors.

The city of Frankfurt honoured Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Volker Mosbrugger with the prestigious Goethe Plaque 2022, which is awarded annually to personalities of cultural life.

FIAS Fellow Hannah Elfner was nominated "Scientist of the Year 2021". The physicist received the prize by Goethe University and the Alfons and Gertrud Kassel Foundation, which awards the prize to researchers every two years. In addition to outstanding scientific work, the focus is also on promoting young researchers, for which part of the prize money of 25,000 Euros will be used.

As part of the new collaborative research centre (CRC) 1507, Roberto Covino's group will contribute to understand the role of the cell membrane in regulating fundamental cellular programs. With modelling, calculations, and computer simulations, they want to elucidate the complex interactions between membrane proteins and lipids.

The FIAS Seismology and Artificial Intelligence group used the Italian volcano Stromboli in the Mediterranean Sea as an example to develop a powerful module for immediately detecting and creating more complete seismo-volcanic event catalogs. These catalogs not only enable the evaluation of volcanic hazard but also the in-depth investigation of possible precursors based on the historic instrumental data.

Eight super telescopes, many international working groups, and elaborate computer calculations over years led to the first image of the black hole at the center of our Milky Way.

Seven scientists have found a temporary research position at Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS). Personal commitment and the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Polytechnic Foundation of Frankfurt am Main ensure financial security, research opportunities, and a temporary home in Frankfurt for two professors, five (post)doctoral students and their families.

Prof. Dr. Eckhard Elsen is the new Scientific Director of the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) as of May 1, 2022. He thus replaces the previous five-member board including the executive and an administrative director. The basis for this new structure is an amendment to the statutes. With a single executive director at the helm processes and decisions in the institute will be rendered more efficient and coordination simplified.

Research Cluster ELEMENTS at FIAS

On 28.04.2022 Prof. Dr. Gašper Tkačik from Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST) starts the new talks series "CMMS Talks" with his presentation about "Statistical analysis and optimality of biological systems". The talks series will take place on a regular basis during the semester times within the frame of the LOEWE Project "CMMS" at FIAS.

The brain's ability to store and generalize information is incredibly complex and diverse. But what happens at the level of neuronal networks in the process? In a new study, scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University-Mainz (JGU) and the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) have found that activity patterns in the brain, especially the auditory cortex, are not as stable as previously thought. This instability is crucial for the linking of sensory impressions.

Ukraine has been subjected to a war of aggression by Russia. This action, for which Vladimir Putin is solely responsible, is a blatant violation of international law and in no way justified. Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian people - with the people who are being injured and are dying in these minutes as a result of the war of aggression. There are many civilian casualties, among them children.

Scientific experiments on the fundamental constituents of matter and their interactions generate an increasing amount of data that must be processed and analyzed. Scientists from particle, astroparticle, hadron and nuclear physics have therefore joined forces to form a consortium. Its goal is to organize the huge data sets from many experiments in a "sustainable" way so that all data become easily findable, readily accessible, linkable as well as reusable. The participation of FIAS in the consortium PUNCH4NFDI ( Particles, Universe, NuClei, and Hadrons for the NFDI) is funded within the framework of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) for an initial period of five years with a total of almost 280,000 €.

The Alfons and Gertrud Kassel Foundation awards the "Scientist of the Year" prize every second year to a scientist who, in addition to outstanding scientific achievements, is also committed to the work of young scientists. This year, FIAS Fellow Prof. Dr. Hannah Elfner receives the award, which is endowed with 25,000 euros.

It is almost always assumed in cosmological calculations that there is a even distribution of matter in the universe. This is because the calculations would be much too complicated if the position of every single star were to be included. In reality, the universe is not uniform: in some places there are stars and planets, in others there is just a void. Physicists Michael te Vrugt and Prof. Raphael Wittkowski from the Institute of Theoretical Physics and the Center for Soft Nanoscience (SoN) at the University of Münster have, together with physicist Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder from the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS), developed a new model for this problem. Their starting point was the Mori-Zwanzig formalism, a method for describing systems consisting of a large number of particles with a small number of measurands. The results of the study have now been published in the journal “Physical Review Letters”.

Earthquakes regularly cause devastating destruction in many regions around the world. Even though analysis and measurement methods have steadily evolved over the past decades, reliable prediction is still not possible. The occurrence of earthquakes within the stable interiors of tectonic plates is still an enigma. Gujarat, in northwest India, is one such region that witnessed two devastating earthquakes in a span of 200 years. FIAS and the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) in Gandhinagar have now agreed on long-term research cooperation using novel artificial intelligence methods to understand the earthquake occurrence in the region.

Starting next year, Goethe University and the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) will intensify and expand joint research projects and the exchange of scientific knowledge. A new cooperation agreement has laid the legal foundations for this. The contract was signed yesterday, on November 11th.

In his new book, Luciano Rezzolla takes us on a voyage of discovery to black holes. In doing so, he manages to reach readers of all knowledge levels and to draw a fascinating arc from the basic principles of gravity to the modern research results of relativistic astrophysics. The popular science book is published in German by C. H. Beck, the English version by Cambridge University Press is available since March 2023.

Discovering new things in nature, making models, solving puzzles, or making estimates - all this is waiting for for children and teens aged 10 and up and their families during the 21 stages of the ProLOEWE science rally. It starts on August 2 at ProLOEWE.de. FIAS and the LOEWE focus CMMS are also taking part in the event.

Volker Mosbrugger, the current president of the Polytechnic Society and former director of the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (until December 2020), will support the work of the Foundation Board with immediate effect. The Foundation Board oversees the work of the Board of Directors and appoints its members. It decides on the FIAS budget and advises the Board on all matters of strategic importance. In recent years, for example, it has made a significant contribution to the successful restructuring of the research areas at FIAS and provided support in this process.