Inauguration: Professor Thomas Nilsson officially introduced as Scientific Managing Director of FAIR and GSI
24.04.2025 |
Professor Thomas Nilsson was inaugurated as the new Scientific Managing Director of the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research in Europe GmbH (FAIR GmbH) and the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH at a ceremony in Darmstadt on April 24. The ceremony took place on the campus of GSI and the international accelerator center FAIR, which is currently being built there, and was attended by several hundred guests from politics, universities and international scientific collaborations as well as employees. The festive event not only offered insights into the future of cutting-edge research, but also underlined the importance of FAIR/GSI in the international scientific community.
The event began with words of welcome from Dr. Volkmar Dietz, Ministerial Director at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and Chairman of the GSI Supervisory Board, and Christoph Degen, State Secretary at the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Art and Culture. The Lord Mayor of Darmstadt, City of Science, Hanno Benz, delivered words of welcome. The President of the Helmholtz Association, Professor Otmar D. Wiestler, was connected via video message. Dr. Catarina Sahlberg as Chair of the FAIR Council and Alicja Nowakowska as Chair of the FAIR Administrative and Finance Committee contributed the perspective of the international partner countries. The former Scientific Managing Director and Research Director of FAIR/GSI, Professor Karlheinz Langanke led through the afternoon's program.
The renowned Swedish experimental physicist Professor Thomas Nilsson was Head of the Department of Physics at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg before starting his position in Darmstadt in December 2024. As Scientific Managing Director, he is in charge of the entire scientific division of FAIR and GSI, and he is also the Spokesperson of the Management Board. In his inaugural speech, Professor Thomas Nilsson gave an exciting outlook on the future development of FAIR/GSI. “I am very proud to be part of a project that brings together scientists from all over the world, and thus plays a key role in the global research community. The progress we achieve here will not only advance physics, but also promote numerous other disciplines.” The new Scientific Director also emphasized the international dimensions: “It is fascinating to work on such a large international project that fosters the exchange of knowledge and innovation across national borders. I will do everything I can to ensure that FAIR/GSI continues to live up to its reputation as one of the world’s largest and most ambitious research projects in physics. The synergies between people of various institutions and nations are crucial to fully exploit the potential of FAIR.”
Together with Dr. Katharina Stummeyer, Administrative Managing Director, and Jörg Blaurock, Technical Managing Director, the world-renowned researcher forms the top management of FAIR and GSI. In their welcome address, both looked forward to working together in the management team.
Dr. Katharina Stummeyer, Administrative Managing Director, emphasized: “With Professor Nilsson, we have gained an excellent and experienced scientist who will not only drive the scientific development of FAIR and GSI, but also contribute extensive experience in the cooperation of international research institutes and the networking of the scientific community. I look forward to the joint challenges and the further progress we will achieve as a team.”
Jörg Blaurock, Technical Managing Director, said: “The technological innovations and infrastructure projects that we are implementing here require close cooperation and expertise from various fields. I am convinced that Professor Nilsson will succeed in further strengthening the profile of FAIR/GSI as one of the world’s leading research facilities. Our aim is to enable international research excellence at a facility that is technically customized for science.”
Professor Nilsson’s appointment comes at a very important time for FAIR and GSI, with a focus on preparing the experiments for the launch of the FAIR facility. The scientific research program is already running in parallel, and the current beam time offers scientists excellent conditions for their experiments. They are using the GSI accelerator facilities, which have been significantly improved for their later use as pre-accelerators for FAIR. Thanks to the detectors and instrumentation developed by the large international FAIR collaborations and the improved ion accelerators, it is already possible to break new ground in physics. (BP)
Statements on the inauguration
Dr. Volkmar Dietz, Federal Ministry of Education and Research and Chairman of the GSI Supervisory Board: “I am delighted that we were able to appoint Thomas Nilsson as Scientific Managing Director. I have known him as a strong leader who always acts clearly and calmly, even when FAIR has been in stormy seas in recent years. Now I see FAIR and GSI on a straight course: the exploitation of FAIR's enormous scientific potential is in sight. I am sure that with Thomas Nilsson and the entire team at FAIR and GSI, we will see FAIR and GSI achieve enormous scientific brilliance in the coming years.”
Christoph Degen, State Secretary in the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Arts and Culture: “Professor Thomas Nilsson, a renowned experimental physicist who has long been involved in the development of the FAIR facility – both scientifically and in the committees – is taking over as Scientific Managing Director. I am delighted that under Professor Nilsson’s leadership, fundamental physics research of outstanding global importance will soon be conducted at FAIR. The facility not only demonstrates the efficiency of the state of Hesse as a science and business location. It will make a significant contribution to scientific progress, the development of cutting-edge technologies and the training of specialists. I wish Professor Thomas Nilsson every success in this important task.”
Hanno Benz, Lord Mayor of Darmstadt, City of Science: “Scientific success is our most important resource and gives our location a real advantage. The success of our research facilities therefore also determines the competitiveness of our city. The GSI Helmholtzzentrum is a flagship project of our scientific infrastructure and has stood for world-class research for decades. The new Scientific Managing Director, Professor Nilsson, now has the responsible task of confirming these successes and leading the internationally active organization into a future rich in knowledge. With the new FAIR particle accelerator facility under construction and 3,000 researchers from 50 countries, he has the best conditions for this. We wish him all the best in his new role and look forward to working with him at the Darmstadt research location.”
Professor Otmar D. Wiestler, President of the Helmholtz Association: “Cutting-edge large-scale research infrastructures such as FAIR are an integral part of the Helmholtz mission. They are crucial to address some of the great challenges of our time in areas such as fundamental physics, materials research or the life sciences. Thomas Nilsson is an internationally outstanding scientist with extensive expertise in the strategic planning and implementation of major international research projects. He is an excellent choice for the position of the Scientific Managing Director of FAIR and GSI and a great benefit to the Helmholtz Association.”
Dr. Catarina Sahlberg, Chair FAIR Council: “As the Chair of the FAIR Council, it is my distinct honor to welcome Professor Thomas Nilsson as our new Scientific Managing Director. Having known Thomas for many years, I am confident that his exceptional expertise and visionary leadership will safely steer FAIR through the critical phases of commissioning and the start of full-scale operations at this unique research facility. Thomas' dedication to the FAIR project reflects the active participation of our international partners in ensuring the success of the facility. And with a wink, rest assured, the fact that there are now two Swedes — both Thomas and myself — serving at the highest governance level at FAIR does not mean we will introduce instructions for the accelerator assembly in the style of a well-known Swedish furniture store.”
Alicja Nowakowska, Chair of the FAIR Administrative and Finance Committee: “Professor Thomas Nilsson is a renowned scientist and expert engaged from the early beginning of FAIR project. We were always impressed with how he was able to find solutions and connect differing points of view. Professor Nilsson takes up the role of the Scientific Managing Director of FAIR and GSI not only with exceptional experience and competence, but also with vision and passion, which are essential for projects of this scale and complexity.”
Personal data
Professor Thomas Nilsson studied Engineering Physics at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, and was a PhD student at the former TH (now TU) in Darmstadt. After that, he worked as a physics coordinator at the ISOLDE facility at the CERN research center in Switzerland. From 2005 to 2006, he worked as a researcher at TU Darmstadt and Chalmers University. Since 2009, he has been a full professor in physics at Chalmers University and since 2017 Head of the Physics Department and part of the university management group. Professor Nilsson is also a member of the Physics Class of the prestigious Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which is responsible for selecting Nobel Prize laureates. In his research, the experimental physicist focuses on how fundamental types of interactions manifest in subatomic systems, in particular in nuclei with large excesses of neutrons or protons, where exotic structures and properties emerge. The renowned scientist also has extensive experience in the strategic planning of large research projects and international collaborations. He took on scientific tasks in advisory bodies and program committees, for example, at the Canadian National Accelerator Center TRIUMF and at the RIKEN Research Center in Japan. In addition, he has already served in various positions on the FAIR Council and as a member of the GSI Supervisory Board.
About FAIR
FAIR will be one of the largest and most complex accelerator facilities in the world, with a central ring accelerator with a circumference of 1,100 meters. Engineers and scientists are working in international partnership to advance new technological developments in a number of areas, such as information technology and superconductor technology. Around 3,000 scientists from all over the world will be able to conduct top-level research at FAIR. Their outstanding experiments will generate new fundamental insights into the structure of matter and the evolution of the universe.
