Florian Grüner

Prof. Dr. Florian Grüner is Full Professor (W3) of Physics at the University of Hamburg, heading the Accelerator Physics Group within the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences. He is also affiliated with the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) and serves as Principal Investigator in the Cluster of Excellence "Quantum Universe".

Education:

• 1994–2000: Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Diplom (with distinction)
• 2003: Ph.D. in Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (summa cum laude)

Research Focus: His research spans two major areas: laser-plasma acceleration and biomedical imaging. The group pioneers techniques for laser-wakefield acceleration and develops novel X-ray fluorescence imaging (XFI) methods for medical applications. Notably, they achieved the first in-vivo immune cell tracking using XFI, overcoming limitations due to Compton scattering in large objects.

Awards & Honors:

• 2023 Innovation Award on Synchrotron Radiation
• Multiple lecture prizes (2013–2019) for excellence in teaching
• 2004–2005 DFG Postdoc Scholarship
• Doctorate and diploma with highest honors

Leadership & Service: Since 2019, he serves as Ombudsperson at Universität Hamburg and is a member of the Academic Senate. He previously held roles including Managing Director of the Institute of Experimental Physics (2013–2016) and Deputy Scientific Director of the University College (2013–2014).

Collaborations & Funding: His group actively collaborates with the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and participates in major initiatives like the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) and DFG Transregio TR 18. They welcome students for bachelor’s/master’s theses and doctoral projects in accelerator physics and biomedical imaging.