Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life: Prof. Helmut Schießel takes over as Speaker and Managing Director

Effective from August 1, 2026, Prof. Helmut Schießel has been appointed as Speaker and Managing Director of the Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life (PoL) at TUD Dresden University of Technology. He succeeds Prof. Otger Campàs, who now moves into the role of Deputy Speaker. Typically, the PoL speaker changes regularly, to reflect the dynamic and international nature of the cluster. This change in leadership comes during a transition period for the cluster, as PoL is in the early months of a second funding phase by the German Research Foundation (DFG). 

Where physics, biology, and computer science blend seamlessly

A theoretical biophysicist, Prof. Schießel has been studying biophysical processes in the cell nucleus for over 20 years. He has been the Chair of Theoretical Physics of Living Matter at PoL since 2021 having moved from Leiden University, and has acted as deputy speaker for the cluster since January 2022. Regarding his appointment as speaker, Prof. Schießel said the following: “I am honoured to take on this new role, and excited to work with our outstanding research community to continue shaping the future of Physics of Life. Dresden offers a truly unique environment, where physics, biology, and computer science blend seamlessly together, attracting talented scientists from across the globe. By strengthening collaborations across disciplines, we will continue advancing our shared mission to uncover the physical principles that govern life across scales.”

Prof. Campàs is the Chair of Tissue Dynamics at TUD, and has acted as PoL speaker since January 2022, shortly after moving from the University of California, Santa Barbara (USA), to TUD in July 2021. Regarding his tenure as speaker, he said: “It's been a pleasure and an honor to serve PoL as a speaker for over four and a half years. We have renewed our excellence cluster, and built many different structures that generated countless interactions between the scientists at PoL. As Deputy Speaker going forward, I will help the new speaker, Prof. Helmut Schießel, with everything I can to make PoL become even better in the future.” During his time as speaker, Prof. Campàs steered the cluster of excellence through its first funding phase, and led successful efforts for the renewal of PoL as a cluster for an additional seven years by the DFG.

Theoretical and experimental approaches

Under Prof. Schießel’s leadership, PoL will continue to build the interdisciplinary research foundation established during the first funding phase. By strengthening connections between theoretical and experimental approaches, this will bring together physicists, biologists, and computer scientists across the globe to study the physical principles underlying living systems – a mission that will guide the cluster through to 2032.

About the Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life

Physics of Life is one of five clusters of excellence at TUD. PoL’s aim is to identify the physical laws underlying the organization of life in molecules, cells, and tissues. Scientists from physics, biology, and computer science come together to investigate how active matter in cells and tissues organizes itself into given structures and gives rise to life. PoL is funded by the DFG within the framework of the excellence strategy. It is a cooperation between scientists of the TUD and research institutions of the DRESDEN-concept network, such as the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI-PKS), the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research (IPF) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/

Media Contact:
Ryan Henne
Science Communication Officer
Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life
Tel.: +49 351 463-41517