Johanna Stachel to be first female president of the DPG
Johanna Stachel has been elected as the next president of the Deutsche Physikalischen Gesellschaft1 (DPG). Stachel, a professor of experimental physics at the University of Heidelberg, will be the first female physicist to head up the DPG.
The presidency of the DPG is a voluntary role, with a two year term. Stachel will take take over the role from the current president, Wolfgang Sander, in 2012. Sander himself will go on to be the next vice-president of the society.
Munich born Stachel, who comes from a background of physics and chemistry, recieved her PhD from the University of Mainz before moving on to conduct research with both the Stony Brook University and the Brookhaven National Laboratory. The recipient of many research awards, she was presented with the Federal Cross of Merit in 1999.
At present, Stachel conducts research into quark-gluon plasma – the state of matter that existed a microsecond after the big bang – at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, and acts on both the scientific advisory board of the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation, as well as the foundation board of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
The DPG – which was founded in 1845 – is both the oldest physical society and, with over 59,000 members, also the largest in the world.
- Literally: ‘German Physical Society‘ – Ed [↩]
