Susanne Mertens

Susanne Mertens is a Professor and Director at the Technical University of Munich and the Max Planck Institute for Physics (MPIK), where she leads research in experimental astroparticle physics. Her work focuses on neutrino properties, dark matter, and the development of advanced detector technologies for large-scale experiments. She holds a part-time directorship at MPIK, transitioning to full-time in March 2025, and leads key international projects including KATRIN, TRISTAN, and ComPol.

Her research interests lie at the intersection of particle physics and cosmology, addressing fundamental questions such as the neutrino mass, matter-antimatter asymmetry, and the nature of dark matter. She is actively involved in data analysis and instrumentation for next-generation experiments, contributing to both ground-based and space-based observatories. Her work bridges theoretical inquiry with cutting-edge experimental design.

The trends in her research, though specific publications are not listed, emphasize precision measurement, low-background detection, and novel spectroscopic techniques. She plays leading roles in major collaborations, often as spokesperson or principal investigator, indicating strong leadership in the global astroparticle physics community.

Scientific Awards:

• No awards mentioned in the provided text.

Prof. Mertens advises research teams and leads major grant-funded projects such as TRISTAN and ComPol. As Principal Investigator (PI) of these initiatives, she oversees significant funding and international collaboration. Her leadership roles in KATRIN and satellite-based X-ray missions demonstrate sustained success in securing and managing large-scale research grants.

She is affiliated with the Professorship for Dark Matter at TUM and works within the MPIK’s experimental astroparticle physics division. Her research group likely involves a multidisciplinary team of physicists, engineers, and data scientists focused on detector development and data analysis for fundamental physics experiments.