Research

Archimedes discovered the law of hydrostatic buoyancy because he himself caused his bathtub to overflow, Isaac Newton is said to have discovered the general law of gravity only with the help of an apple, and Galileo Galilei saw that the Milky Way consists of countless stars with the help of a simple telescope. But the…

A plain and white-painted room in the historic building no. 12 at Neues Palais, one table, three chairs. Nothing suggests that things are about to get stressful here. Or does it? There is a microphone in a stand in front of the table and a mirrored window at one end, through which everything that happens…

At the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP in Potsdam Science Park, Dr Hannes Hinneburg is developing sustainable materials from fungal mycelium. In future, his work could change the markets for leather, textiles and insulation materials. Asked why he chose to work at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP, Dr Hannes Hinneburg…

Dr. Felix Lang prefers to work in the lab rather than at the computer. „When we test our solar cells, you can see immediately whether they are good or not,“ he says. In May 2022, he became the first member of the University of Potsdam to receive a Freigeist Fellowship from the Volkswagen Foundation and…

Biotechnology is a key technology which can be used to feed the growing world population, save resources and improve the health of many millions of people. Bioeconomy entails the transition to a fossil-free economy. On 20 October 2022, renowned scientists and innovation drivers from business and startups gathered at this year’s PSP Conference at the…

From getting a visa to finding an English-speaking doctor, Darya Niakhaichyk helps international researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics with navigating their stay in Potsdam, Germany – and knows many of their challenges from experience.