Karin Schwarzenberger

Dr.-Ing. Karin Schwarzenberger is Group Leader for Interfacial Phenomena at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and since 2020 deputy group leader for the Chair of Transport Processes at Interfaces at TU Dresden. She has been continuously affiliated with TU Dresden’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering since 2003, advancing from diploma studies through PhD to post-doctoral and leadership roles.

Education:

• Doctoral studies (Dr.-Ing.), TU Dresden, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, 2010–2015
  Thesis: “Experimental Investigations on Stationary Solutal Marangoni Instability”
• Diploma in Process Engineering, TU Dresden, 2003–2010
  Diploma Thesis: “Calculation of Interaction Energies between Fractal Aggregates”

Research Interests

Karin Schwarzenberger’s work centers on interfacial transport phenomena, pattern formation, and multiphase flows. Key areas include:

• Interfacial dynamics at liquid/liquid and liquid/gas boundaries
• Particle–particle and particle–interface interactions
• Solutal Marangoni instabilities and convective structures
• Coacervation and complexation of polymers and surfactants
• Microgravity effects on buoyancy-driven instabilities

Her experimental approach combines high-resolution optical diagnostics with numerical simulations to unravel the coupling between mass transfer, surface tension gradients, and hydrodynamic instabilities.

Publication Trends

Between 2012 and 2025 Schwarzenberger has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles. Recent work (2022–2025) demonstrates a clear shift toward applied interfacial engineering—surface functionalization of Ti64 alloys, foam fractionation for protein purification, and coacervation-based membrane formation—while maintaining fundamental studies on Marangoni convection and buoyancy-driven instabilities under microgravity.

Scientific Awards

No specific awards are mentioned in the provided materials.

Advising & Funding

While the text does not list individual students, her role as group leader at HZDR and deputy chair leader at TU Dresden implies supervision of doctoral researchers and technical staff. Funding is implicitly provided through Helmholtz Association programmes and collaborative projects with TU Dresden.

Labs & Teams

She heads the Interfacial Phenomena group at HZDR, located in building 310 at Bautzner Landstrasse 400, Dresden. The group operates state-of-the-art optical measurement techniques (PIV, LIF, high-speed imaging) and performs experiments both in the laboratory and under microgravity conditions (parabolic flights).