Gunnar Friege

Prof. Dr. Gunnar Friege is a Professor of Physics Education at the Institute for Mathematics and Physics Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Leibniz University Hannover. He serves as the head of the Department of Physics Education and is actively involved in the Faculty Council. His office is located in Building 1109, Room 105 at Welfengarten 1A, 30167 Hanover, with office hours on Wednesdays from 9:00-10:00 during the lecture period.

Prof. Friege's research spans multiple areas of physics education with a strong emphasis on innovative teaching methods. His work focuses on digital teaching and learning, inquiry-based physics education, and the integration of technology in physics instruction. He has developed numerous projects exploring productive failure approaches in physics learning, smart experiments, and the use of eyetracking technology to understand student engagement with physics concepts. His research also extends to science communication, particularly through physics competitions and outreach activities.

Analysis of Prof. Friege's recent publications reveals a strong trend toward inquiry-based learning approaches, formative assessment techniques, and the integration of digital technologies in physics education. His work frequently addresses practical classroom applications of theoretical educational concepts, with many publications providing concrete teaching materials and activities for specific physics topics ranging from buoyancy and thermodynamics to quantum physics and environmental science. The interdisciplinary nature of his research is evident in publications connecting physics education with environmental issues, acoustics, and AI applications.

Prof. Friege has been deeply involved in physics competitions throughout his career, participating in the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) since 1996 in various capacities including as head of the German delegation. He has also been involved with the European Physics Olympiad (EuPhO) since 2017, the Federal Environment Competition (BUW) since 2004, and has created school-level competitions like inventor tournaments and MINT-Fights. His work with the World Federation of Physics Competitions (WFPhC) included serving as Treasurer and Vice President from 2002-2016.

As a supervisor, Prof. Friege leads multiple research projects with doctoral students and collaborators including Muriel Schaber, Sophia Siegmann, Julia Hiniborch, and others. His current projects include SoMeCliCs (on social media and climate change education), Productive Failure in physics teaching, Smart Experiments, Eyetracking studies, MasterClasses in quantum physics, and the LernMINT research training group focusing on data-based teaching in STEM subjects. He also directs the Physics Didactics Working Group which investigates subject-specific media competence of prospective teachers and develops digital teaching scenarios.