Jürgen Horbach

Professor Jürgen Horbach is a W2 Professor at the Institute for Theoretical Physics II - Soft Matter at Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. His research focuses on theoretical aspects of soft matter physics, particularly glass formation, crystallization, and transport phenomena in complex systems.

Prof. Horbach's research interests span a wide range of topics in theoretical physics, with a particular emphasis on the behavior of glass-forming systems. His work investigates crystallization from the melt, examining interfacial properties, growth kinetics, and nucleation processes. He also studies the nonlinear response of glassforming systems to shear, which has implications for understanding material failure and deformation. His research extends to phase transitions and critical dynamics in confined geometries, localization phenomena in ion-conducting silicates, and microfluidics with dense liquids. These diverse research areas are unified by a common thread of understanding complex behavior in disordered and soft materials through computational and theoretical approaches.

Prof. Horbach's publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to the field of theoretical physics, with a particular focus on glass physics and soft matter. His recent work shows increasing integration of computational methods, including molecular dynamics simulations and machine learning approaches, to tackle fundamental questions about material behavior. The interdisciplinary nature of his research is evident in the range of journals where he publishes, spanning physics, materials science, and engineering publications.

• SFB-TR6 "Physics of Colloidal Dispersions in External Fields" (collaboration with Jülich, Konstanz, Mainz, Utrecht)
• Schwerpunktprogramm SPP 1296 "Heterogeneous nucleation and microstructure formation"
• DFG research group FOR 1394 "Nonlinear response to probe vitrification"
• Schwerpunktprogramm SPP 1594 "Topological Engineering of Ultra-strong Glasses"

Throughout his career, Prof. Horbach has taught a variety of courses at Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, including Computational Physics, Theory of Phase Transitions, Quantum Mechanics, and Theoretical Mechanics. His teaching reflects his research expertise, with special lectures on Soft Matter, Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics, and the Dynamics of Dense Fluids.