Freya Blekman

Freya Blekman is a Lead Scientist at DESY and Professor at the University of Hamburg under the Helmholtz Distinguished Professorship Recruitment Initiative since 2021. She is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford since 2019.

• Ph.D. in Physics (University of Amsterdam/Nikhef, 2005)
• M.Sc. in Physics (University of Amsterdam/Nikhef, 2000)

Her research focuses on particle physics, particularly on detecting new physics through precision measurements and direct searches at colliders like the LHC and future FCC-ee, with emphasis on the top quark sector. She has led international teams at CERN and CMS, including the establishment of CMS physics outreach as the first physics communicator and founding the 'Beyond-Two-Generations' physics group.

Notable scientific awards include the Helmholtz Distinguished Professorship (2021), LHC Physics Center Distinguished Researcher recognition (2019-2020, 2013), and the Jaarprijs Science Communication (2016) for promoting particle physics via social media. She actively participates in peer review panels and advisory boards across Europe.