The experimental physicist was honored for her outstanding research on ultrafast processes in condensed matter physics. Using femtosecond electron diffraction, she investigates atomic motion as well as electron–phonon and phonon–phonon interactions in materials such as two-dimensional systems, lead-halide perovskites, and molecular crystals. Her work provides fundamental insights into material dynamics on extremely short timescales and contributes to the understanding of their physical properties.

“I am extremely happy and honored to receive the Karl Scheel Prize. Several previous prize winners are truly inspirational scientists to me, and I hope I can give back by mentoring the next generation as they did for me,” Dr. Hélène Seiler said.

Outlook on the Future of Materials Research

As part of the award ceremony, Seiler delivered the award lecture entitled “Tracking atomic motions in real-time with femtosecond electron diffraction,” in which she presented her research on observing atomic motion in real time.

“In the future, I’m really looking forward to exploiting our newly built ultrafast coherent spectrometer at Freie Universität Berlin to reveal microscopic interactions in 2D materials—such as exciton-magnon interactions and strong light–matter coupling,” Prof. Dr. Hélène Seiler explained. On the diffraction side, she plans to push forward the method of ultrafast inelastic electron scattering. In addition, the awardee wants to go beyond semiconductors and apply the method to reveal a momentum-resolved picture of electron-phonon and phonon-phonon interactions in correlated materials, where the physics gets a lot richer.

Thanks to Supporters

“I would never be where I am today without the support of my colleagues, mentors, family, and friends. Thank you to all of them!” Prof. Dr. Hélène Seiler said. “I came to Berlin right after my PhD as a young postdoc, and all these people have made it a fantastic environment to grow as an independent researcher.”

About Karl Scheel Prize

The Karl Scheel Prize is the most prestigious award of the Physical Society of Berlin (Physikalische Gesellschaft zu Berlin, the Berlin/Brandenburg regional chapter of the German Physical Society). It is typically awarded to a member for an outstanding scientific achievement in the years immediately following their doctorate, accomplished predominantly at a research institution in the states of Berlin or Brandenburg. The prize, which is usually endowed with €5,000, has been awarded to more than 80 scientists since 1958.