Ulrike Diebold

Ulrike Diebold is a Professor and Deputy Head at the Institute of Applied Physics, Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), a position she has held since 2010. Previously, she served as Professor and Yahoo! Founder Chair of Science and Engineering at Tulane University from 2001 to 2009.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Engineering Physics, TU Wien, 1990

Diebold's research focuses on experimental surface science, particularly atomic-scale properties of metal oxide surfaces and defect structure/reactivity relationships. She utilizes Scanning Probe Microscopy complemented by area-averaging spectroscopies and first-principles calculations to investigate these complex materials.

Her scientific contributions have earned significant recognition:

• Wittgenstein Prize (2013), Austria's highest research award
• Arthur W. Adamson Award (2013) from the American Chemical Society
• Blaise Pascal Medal in Materials Science (2015)
• ERC Advanced Researcher Grant (2012)
• Elected Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (2014), German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (2015), and European Academy of Sciences (2014)
• Fellow of the American Physical Society (2004), AAAS (2007), and AVS (2005)

With over 200 peer-reviewed publications exceeding 20,000 citations and 300+ invited talks, Diebold has secured major funding including an ERC Advanced Grant. Her work demonstrates exceptional leadership in experimental surface science methodology and international collaboration.

She leads a prominent research group at TU Wien specializing in surface analysis techniques and chairs the surface science division of the German Physical Society, representing over 2,500 members in her field.