Nobel Laureate Series 2026
12 May 2026: Duncan Haldane
20216 Nobel Prize in Physics "for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter”"
Public talk: Quantum Entanglement, Topological quantum states, and the “Second Quantum Revolution”
Tuesday, 12 May 2026, 7 pm
Audimax, TU Dresden (admission is free)
Registration:
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Duncan Haldane, born on September 14, 1951, in London, is a British physicist known for his work in theoretical condensed matter physics. He studied at the University of Cambridge, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1973 and completed his PhD in 1978. Between 1977 and 1981, he worked at the Institut Laue-Langevin, followed by a position as Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California from 1981 to 1985. He then spent two years at Bell Laboratories before becoming a professor at the University of California, San Diego, in 1987. In 1990, he joined Princeton University, where he holds the position of Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics. In 2016, Haldane was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, together with David J. Thouless and J. Michael Kosterlitz, "for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter”
Quantum Entanglement, Topological quantum states, and the “Second Quantum Revolution”
Modern quantum mechanics is 100 years old, but has continued to deliver surprises. While the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle was central to the “first quantum revolution”, in recent years the strange property of quantum entanglement has come to be recognized as the key feature of quantum mechanics, and is at the heart of recent attempts to create new quantum technologies for information processing and high-precision sensors, that some call a “second quantum revolution”. Among the surprises are “topological quantum states of matter”, that may allow “topologically-protected” processing of quantum information, stored as entanglement patterns.
17 June 2026: Georg Bednorz
Nobel Prize in Physics 1987 "for the discovery of high-temperature superconductors"
Public talk: Supraleitung – vom Phänomen zur Schlüsseltechnologie des 21. Jahrhunderts (talk in German language)
Wednesday, 17 June 2026, 7 pm
Audimax, TU Dresden (Admission is free)
Georg Bednorz, born in 1950, began studying chemistry at the University of Münster in 1968, but soon switched to mineralogy and specialised in crystallography, particularly perovskite compounds. Even whilst still a student, he worked on several occasions at the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory, where he later completed his PhD (1977–1982) and subsequently worked as a researcher. From 1983, he conducted research together with Karl Alexander Müller into high-temperature superconductivity in ceramic copper oxides – an unconventional approach at the time. In 1986, they achieved a breakthrough by demonstrating superconductivity at a comparatively high temperature of 35 Kelvin. For this groundbreaking discovery, Bednorz and Müller were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics as early as 1987. This marked the shortest time span between a discovery and the awarding of a Nobel Prize.
Superconductivity – from a phenomenon to a key technology of the 21st century
Shortly after the discovery of superconductivity a century ago, ambitious plans for large-scale industrial applications were developed. However, low transition temperatures, low critical currents and high sensitivity to magnetic fields proved to be insurmountable obstacles. Superconductivity thus remained a scientific curiosity for decades, until the late 1970s, when new intermetallic superconductors opened up the possibility of developing powerful magnets for solid-state research and medical instruments. Yet even after decades of searching for materials with higher critical temperatures, superconductivity remained a low-temperature phenomenon. A paradigm shift in the research strategy for new materials, in which oxides were used instead of metals, led to the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in a new class of materials and gave the field of research new impetus. Following the discovery, decades of research into the development of these new superconductors led to high-performance materials that today form the basis of the superconducting industry. With its compelling advantages in the generation, transmission and distribution of electrical energy, as well as in efficient industrial processes, superconducting technology has the potential to shape the entire energy sector. Here, it can make a significant contribution to the transition to a fully electric society in order to combat the environmental problems associated with climate change.
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Photo gallery Nobel Laureates at TU Dresden 2016-2023
Nobel lectures at TU Dresden 2016-2023
Edvard Moser at TU Dresden on 13 April 2016
In his lecture "The GPS of the brain: Grid cells and the neural map of space", Moser spoke about the discovery of so-called grid cells, which, in joint action with other cells, form the “GPS system” in our brain.
Shuji Nakamura at TU Dresden on 11 May 2016
In his lecture "Invention of blue LED and future solid state lighting", Nakamura spoke about how he, Akasaki and Amano achieved a breakthrough in developping the first blue LED. The development of blue LEDs was the prerequisite for the production of white light using the combination of red, green and blue LEDs and thus, the basis for efficient, energy-saving light sources.
Stefan Hell at TU Dresden on 22 June 2016
In his lecture, Hell talked about the development of the so-called “Stimulated Emission Depletion” (STED-) microscopy, which uses fluorescence to make nanoscale biological structures visible by chemical processes.
Gerhard Ertl at TU Dresden on 6 July 2016
In his lecture "Catalysis on surfaces: Engine of chemical transformations", Ertl also reported on how his research findings are still widely employed, such as in the production of chemical fertilizers, efficient catalytic converters or in the investigations of climate phenomena.
Sir John B. Gurdon at TU Dresden on 26 April 2017
In his talk "Somatic cell nuclear transfer: memory of the past versus hope for the future", Gurdon spoke about his pioneering study in which he found the prove that the mature cell, just as embryonic stem cells, still contain the genetic information needed to form all types of cells.
Paul Modrich at TU Dresden on 16 May 2017
In his lecture "Mechanisms in DNA mismatch repair", Modrich told how he has worked over decades on the idea of decoding the repair mechanism in the DNA code. Just as with all cell mechanisms, chromosome replication is not free from mistakes, misspellings in the genetic code are constantly happening. In 1989, Modrich succeeded in identifying the mismatch repair system (MMR) in cells.
Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard at TU Dresden on 7 June 2017
Fish have particularly beautiful and diverse color patterns, which are created by the mosaic-like distribution of differently colored pigment cells. In her lecture "The stripes of the zebrafish: Why and how does beauty arise in animals?", Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard talked about how these patterns are formed and which genes are responsible for the diversity and evolution of color patterns.
Arthur McDonald at TU Dresden on 28 June 2017
In his lecture "A Deeper Understanding of our Universe from 2 km Underground", McDonald took the Dresden public in his underground lab, where is team in 2001 succeeded in proving that neutrinos have a mass - a break-through in neutrino research and in our understanding of the universe.
Klaus von Klitzing at TU Dresden on 11 April 2018
In his lecture "A new kilogram next year and what it has to do with my Nobel Prize", von Klitzing explained how the International System of Units is to be revolutionised with the help of natural constants. Until now, the unit "kilogramme" was defined by a material prototype - the original kilogramme - which becomes smaller and smaller over time despite elaborate mechanical protection devices.
Ben Feringa at TU Dresden on 18 April 2018
In his lecture "The Art of Building Small", Feringa explained how motors can be made from molecules. In 1999, he and his team built the first light-powered micro-car from a few molecules. The molecular motors can be used in the human body, for example in the construction of muscle elements or micromachines - as well as a means of transport for medicine.
Serge Haroche at TU Dresden on 27 June 2018
In his lecture "Juggling with atoms and photons in cavity: from fundamental tests to quantum metrology", the French quantum physicist spoke about colliding light and matter particles.
Ada E. Yonath at TU Dresden on 24 April 2019
In her lecture "Ribosomes: A Connection Between The Far Past & Near Future", the Israeli biologist spoke about her scientific achievements in the crystallisation and X-ray structure analysis of ribosomes, which earned her the Nobel Prize, and also about their importance for the development of novel antibiotics.
Thomas Südhof at TU Dresden on 26 April 2019
In his lecture "How Synapses Are Made", Südhof took the audience on a journey to one of the most important transport systems of our cells, the synapses.
Michael Kosterlitz at TU Dresden on 15 May 2019
In his lecture "Random Walk Through Physics To The Nobel Prize", Kosterlitz not only told of his scientific successes, but also of his great passion: climbing. A climbing crevice in the Italian Alps was even named after him: the "Fessura Kosterlitz".
Takaaki Kajita at TU Dresden on 3 July
In his lecture "Oscillating Neutrinos", Kajita talked about how he was able to detect the mass of neutrinos, the so-called "ghost particles", in a zinc mine 1,000m underground, a result that shook the standard model of elementary particle physics.
Sir Andre Geim at TU Dresden on 8 June 2022
"A Random Walk to Graphene" was the title of his lecture, during which Geim revealed much about his scientific curiosity to the Dresden public. For his experiments on diamagnetic levitation, which produced the so-called "levitating frog", he was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize of the year 2000, making him the only person to be both a Nobel and Ig Nobel Prize winner.
Sir Gregory Winter at TU Dresden on 22 June 2022
In his lecture "Harnessing evolution to make new medicines," Sir Gregory explained how he harnessed the principles of evolution to develop targeted antibodies against specific diseases. Winter founded numerous companies that market his antibody drugs, currently Bicycle Therapeutics.
Ben List at TU Dresden on 3 May 2023
With his group at the Max-Planck-Insitut für Kohlenforschung, Chemistry Nobel Prize Laurates Benjamin List aims towards the invention of new strategies for the development of “perfect chemical reactions”. For him, the science of catalysis is truly fascinating. In his talk, List spoke about the catalysis with organic molecules and how strong and confined acids could become universal catalysts.
Didier Queloz at TU Dresden on May 30, 2024
The wealth of discovered planetary systems is changing our understanding of planet formation and our place in the universe. It opens up historical perspectives and invites us to search for life on new worlds to explore our origins. Queloz presents challenges, advances and a new paradigm for the origin of life on Earth.
Anne L`Hullier at TU Dresden on June 28, 2024
When an intense laser hits a gas of atoms, overtones are generated that produce extremely short light pulses of around 100 attoseconds in the time domain. These enable the investigation of electron dynamics in atoms and molecules using pump-probe techniques. The lecture presents key advances in attosecond research.
Reinhard Genzel as a guest on October 23, 2024
At the center of the Milky Way lies Sagittarius A*, a supermassive black hole with 4 million solar masses. Reinhard Genzel and his team confirmed this with precise measurements of stellar movements and gas eruptions. They observed relativity effects in this extreme environment for the first time. In 2020, Genzel, Andrea Ghez and Roger Penrose were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work.
© Nicole Gierig
