Kirsten Andrea SchnorrView profile
Researcher
Kirsten Andrea Schnorr is a Researcher at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland, working within the Center for Photon Science and Laboratory for Femtochemistry. She joined the SwissFEL team in 2018 to develop the Maloja endstation for atomic, molecular, and non-linear physics, leading its design, construction, and operational commissioning for cutting-edge XUV/X-ray experiments. Her educational background includes: PhD in Physics (2014), Ruprecht Karl University Heidelberg, completed at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics under PD Dr. Robert Moshammer; thesis focused on XUV pump-probe experiments of electron rearrangement and interatomic Coulombic decay in diatomic molecules. Schnorr's research centers on photo-induced ultrafast relaxation mechanisms in atoms, molecules, and nanoparticles using time-resolved techniques at Free-Electron Lasers and High Harmonic Generation sources. She pioneers multi-color pump-probe schemes with ultrashort X-ray pulses to steer non-local decay processes like Interatomic Coulombic Decay and Electron Mediated Decay, enabling real-time observation of electron dynamics and proton transfer in molecular systems. Her publication trends (2025-2020) reveal dual expertise in fundamental molecular dynamics and instrumental innovation. Key themes include proton transfer in water dimers (Science Advances 2023), Coulomb explosion in iodinated compounds (2025), and engineering breakthroughs like compact gas attenuators (2023) and polarization control systems (2024), frequently published in Physical Review Letters, Nature Communications, and Journal of Synchrotron Radiation. Scientific awards: Peter Paul Ewald Fellowship from the Volkswagen Foundation (2015), supporting her research on non-linear relaxation processes at UC Berkeley's Physical Chemistry Department under Prof. Stephen Leone. No formal advisees or student supervision are documented. The Volkswagen Foundation fellowship served as her primary grant, funding postdoctoral work on real-time relaxation studies; no additional grants are specified. Her instrumental leadership at SwissFEL suggests mentorship of junior scientists, though no individual students are named. Schnorr directs the Maloja instrument at SwissFEL while contributing to the ATHOS beamline development. She collaborates extensively with PSI's detector teams (e.g., JUNGFRAU advancements) and international groups like UC Berkeley's Physical Chemistry Department, driving initiatives in ultrafast beamline technology and molecular dynamics experiments.









