Antonia Neels

Prof. Dr. Antonia Neels is Head of the Center for X-ray Analytics at Empa and a Titular Professor at the Department of Chemistry, University of Fribourg, Switzerland. She leads cutting-edge research in X-ray based analytical methods, with applications spanning materials science, chemistry, biology, and microtechnology.

Her research focuses on the development and application of advanced X-ray techniques—including diffraction, scattering, and imaging—for understanding the structure and dynamics of new materials, particularly at nano-scale and under non-ambient conditions. Key research areas include polymers, nanoparticles interacting with proteins, metallic glasses for space and medical technology, semiconductor defects, and multimodal X-ray analysis of blood clots.

She is actively involved in national and international scientific communities, having served as President of the Swiss Crystallographic Society (2018–2021), and as a member of the European Crystallographic Association, the International Union of Crystallography (Commission on Powder Diffraction), and the European Powder Diffraction Commission. She is also affiliated with EXCITE Zurich and several Swiss scientific societies.

At the University of Fribourg, she teaches the master's course XRD Basic Principles & Applications each spring semester and contributes to the CCMX course on Advanced X-ray Diffraction Methods for Coatings.

• Leadership: Head of Center for X-ray Analytics, Empa
• Academic Role: Titular Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Fribourg
• Teaching: Master-level courses in X-ray diffraction
• Service: Executive roles in Swiss, European, and International crystallography organizations

She supervises doctoral researchers, including Dan Stefanita, whose work involves drug release mechanisms and multimodal X-ray methods. Her laboratory leverages state-of-the-art X-ray instrumentation for in-situ and nano-scale analysis, contributing to both fundamental science and technological innovation.