Prof. Ryszard Sobierajski elected Vice-chair of the European XFEL Council

We are pleased to announce that our colleague prof. Ryszard Sobierajski has been elected Vice-chair of the European XFEL Council – the highest governing body of the European X-ray Free Electron Laser research facility in Hamburg, Germany. European XFEL is currently one of the most advanced X-ray FELs in operation. Congratulations!

Prof. Sobierajski is the head of the of X-ray and Electron Microscopy Research Laboratory at the Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. For many years, he has been dedicated to ensuring that Polish scientists take full advantage of the unique research opportunities offered by the European X-ray Free Electron Laser. In collaboration with scientists from the National Centre for Nuclear Research, University of Warsaw, and Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, working within a project of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, he established the XFEL Centre of Excellence (XFEL-Hub) supporting research that involves this exceptional European laser. Prof. Sobierajski is also a board member of the Polish Synchrotron Radiation Society (PTPS), where he is engaged in promoting and increasing awareness of XFEL research opportunities.

His scientific interests include ultrafast structural changes in condensed matter under non-equilibrium conditions of high temperature and pressure. In his research he applies time-resolved structural characterization techniques involving wide- and small-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS and SAXS) combined with sub-ps laser pulse heating.