University-Wide Inaugural Lecture - Newly appointed professors in focus
Table of contents
A closer look at our newly appointed professors
The university-wide inaugural lecture introduces newly appointed professors of outstanding strategic importance for TUD’s research profile. Internationally visible, newly appointed professors working in strategically relevant research areas make a decisive contribution to the development of our university. Therefore, TU Dresden welcomes enthusiastic individuals who increase the attractiveness of Dresden as a science hub and whose numerous activities connect TUD and DRESDEN-concept partners across the city. You will find the selection criteria for the inaugural lecture on the Intranet.
University-wide inaugural lectures are hosted in consultation with the appointing faculty and associated institutions. All lectures will take place in the Fritz Foerster Building (FOE/244). Attend the lecture in person in the lecture hall and take advantage of the get-together afterwards as an opportunity to network.
The lecture will also be available on the TUD YouTube channel after the event.
Upcoming lecture with Prof. Oliver Thorn-Seshold
The next university-wide inaugural lecture "Spot On: Using Chemistry to Illuminate Biology" with Prof. Oliver Thorn-Seshold will take place on:
November 12, 2026
4:40 pm – 6:10 pm (6th double period)
FOE/244, Fritz-Foerster Building, Mommsenstrasse 6, 01069 Dresden
The lecture and subsequent discussion will be held in English.
Afterwards, there will be time for an informal get-together.
| 2023 | Research Prize of the Otto-Röhm-Gedächtnisstiftung |
|---|---|
| 2022 | German Chemical/Pharmaceutical Societies' Innovation Prize in Medicinal Chemistry |
| 2008 | German Research Foundation Emmy Noether Group Leader |
| 2009 – 2013 | PhD in Bioorganic Chemistry, Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon |
|---|---|
| 2004 – 2009 | BSc/MSc in Chemistry, University of Sydney and Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon |
| since 2024 | Professor of Organic Chemistry II: Chemical Biology, TU Dresden |
|---|---|
| 2018 – 2024 | Group Leader, LMU Munich |
| 2016 – 2018 | Independent Researcher, LMU Munich |
| 2013-2019 | Postdoc: LMU Munich |
Upcoming lectures
November 12, 2026 - Prof. Oliver Thorn-Seshold
Chair of Chemical Biology
2027:
Thursday, January 21st
Thursday, April 15th
Thursday, June 10th
Thursday, November 25th
Past lectures 2026
►June 18,2026 - Prof. Laysa Baraban
Tiny Technologies for Big Medical Challenges - Introducing Larysa Baraban © TUD
Prof. Larysa Baraban holds the Chair of Medical Nanotechnology at TUD Dresden, jointly established by HZDR and EKFZ. The physicist develops smart biosensors based on nanomaterials and microfluidics to characterize biomolecules and cancer cells. Baraban also developed a nanochip that recognizes cancer characteristics to enable personalized immunotherapy.
| 2022 | ERC Consolidator Grant |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Women in Nanoscience Award (Nanoseries) |
| 2008 | Fellowship to the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Physics from the German Research Foundation (DFG) |
| 1999-2005 | Studies: Physics, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv |
|---|---|
| 2005-2008 | PhD Degree: „Capped colloids as model systems for condensed matter“, University of Konstanz |
| 2009-2011 | PostDoc: ESPCI ParisTech (Grande École d’ingénieurs), Paris |
|---|---|
| 2011 | PostDoc: Leibniz Institut for Solid State and Materials Research |
| 2011-2013 | PostDoc & Coordinator of the ESF young investigator group „Innovasens“, TUD, Dresden |
| 2013-2019 | Group leader: „BioNanoSensorics“, TUD, Dresden |
| 2019 | Habilitation, TUD, Dresden |
| since 2020 | Group leader „Nano-Microsystems for live sciences“, HZDR, Dresden |
| since 2024 | Professor of Medical Nanotechnology, TUD (EKFZ, HZDR), Dresden |
Recording of the Lecture
The UWIL recording of Prof. Baraban's lecture is available online: https://youtu.be/25FWNfBzooM
►April 16, 2026 - Prof. Christina Scheffler
Beyond steel and concrete - Introducing Christina Scheffler © TUD
Prof. Scheffler was appointed to the Chair of Polymers in Construction in 2024. Her lecture is focused on the development of fiber-reinforced composites with mineral-based matrices, aiming for efficient material use, high mechanical performance, and extended service life. It highlights research on fiber surface and interphase structuring and the establishment of recycling concepts.
| 2006 | Leibniz-IPF innovation award on the topic “Nanostructured polymers for improved performance in textile reinforced concrete” |
|---|---|
| 2016 | awarded as “TUD Young Investigator” at the Faculty of Civil Engineering of TU Dresden |
| 2009-2012 | Doctorate: Prof. Gert Heinrich/ Prof. Viktor Mechtcherine/ Prof. Edith Mäder, TU Dresden |
|---|---|
| 1998-2004 | Degree programme: Mechanical Engineering/ Textile Engineering, TU Dresden |
| since 2025 | Member of the Doctoral Committee of the Faculty of Civil Engineering TUD |
|---|---|
| since 2024 | Joint Professorship in Polymers for Construction Materials, Faculty of Civil Engineering, TU Dresden/IPF, Germany |
| since 2023 | WISE Guest professorship at the Luleå Technical University (Sweden), Department of Engineering Sciences and Mathematics, Division Materials Science (funded by Wallenberg Initiative Material Science for Sustainability) |
| since 2020 | Board member of DFG Collaborative Research Center SFB/TRR 280 |
| since 2017 | Board member of DFG Research Training Group GRK2250 |
| since 2014 | Representative of Leibniz-IPF as a member of Composites United e.V. and head of the work group “Fibre-Matrix Adhesion” |
| since 2014 | Representative of the Leibniz-IPF as a member of C³ – Carbon Concrete Composite e.V. |
| 2014-2024 | Leader of the Group Fiber-Engineering at IPF |
| 2005-2011 | Associate and PhD in the SFB 528 “Textile Reinforcements for Structural Strengthening and Maintenance” |
►January 15, 2026 - Prof. Hagen B. Huttner
How do new nerve cells form in adults? © TUD
Prof. Huttner holds the Chair of Neurology at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Neurology at the Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine. His research methods indicate that nerve cell formation exists in both healthy and diseased central nervous systems. His findings challenge the long-held dogma that there is no nerve cell regeneration in the adult human brain.
|
2015 |
Adolf Wallenberg Prize of the German Stroke Society and the German Society of Neurology |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Congress Secretary of the 89th Congress of the German Neurological Society in Mannheim |
| 2018 & 2023 | Lead guideline author of the German Society of Neurology ( registration number 030 - 105) |
| 2020 | Hans Georg Mertens Prize of the German Society of Neurology and the German Society of NeuroIntensive and Emergency Medicine |
| 1999-2002 | Doctoral thesis "MRI-based analyses of inter-individual anatomical variability of the human frontal lobe" at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig (Prof. Dr. D.-Y. von Cramon) |
|---|---|
| 1995-2002 | Medical studies at the University of Leipzig |
| since 02/2025 | Director of the Neurological Clinic, University Hospital Dresden |
|---|---|
| 2021-2025 | Director of the Neurological Clinic, Justus Liebig University Giessen |
| 2015 & 2018 |
Senior Consultant (from 2015) and Deputy Clinic Director (2018) of the Neurological Clinic Erlangen |
| 2014-2016 | Admission to the PhD program of the Karolinska Institute and graduation with a doctoral degree (Ph.D.). Title of doctoral thesis: "Investigating Cell Turnover In The Healthy And Diseased Adult Human Brain" |
| 2014 | Appointment as Extraordinary Professor |
| 2013 | Additional qualifications in intensive care medicine & geriatrics |
| 2011-2012 | DFG fellowship (Hu1961/1-1) and post-doctoral student at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm (Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Head: Prof. Jonas Frisén) |
| 2010 | Specialist in neurology and senior physician at the Neurological University Hospital Erlangen |
| 2010 | Habilitation for the subject "clinical neurology" |
| 2009 | Rotation in psychiatry at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (Prof. Dr. J. Kornhuber) |
| 2008 | Habilitation for "Experimental Neurology" |
| 2007-2008 | Resident in Neurology at the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (Prof. Dr. S. Schwab) |
| 2006-2007 | Post-doctoral student at the Biotechnological Research Center of the TU Dresden (BIOTEC): Basic research on neural stem cell markers (Dr. D. Corbeil) |
| 2003-2006 | Internship and assistant physician at the Neurological Clinic of the Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg (Prof. Dr. W. Hacke) |
For a summary of our previous events, please visit our “past events page”.