Joachim Wambsganss

Joachim Wambsganss is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Physics & Astronomy of the University of Heidelberg and serves as Director of the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut (ARI) and former Director of the Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg (ZAH) until 2015.

• Studied at Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, and Princeton University
• Doctorate in 1990 with supervisors Peter Schneider and Rudolf Kippenhahn

Research Interests:

• Extrasolar planets via microlensing
• Quasar studies and dark matter distribution
• Gravitational lensing techniques
• eScience and open-access astrophysical data

His group has advanced microlensing planet detection and lensed quasar analysis. He led the German Astrophysical Virtual Observatory (GAVO) within the International Virtual Observatory Alliance and organized public outreach projects like the 70-lecture series "Uni(versum) für alle!".

Publications span exoplanets, gravitational lensing, dark matter, and quasars, with major contributions in microlensing techniques and planetary system demographics.