The awardees each receive a prize sum of €200,000, which they can use for up to three years to further their research. Additionally, a 22% program allowance is granted to cover indirect project expenses. In total, 180 researchers from various disciplines were nominated.
Tackling Unsolved Mysteries in Particle Physics
Particle physics still holds many unsolved mysteries: Why do neutrinos have such an incredibly small mass? Why is there so much more matter than antimatter in the universe? Junior Professor Dr. Lena Funcke from the University of Bonn is investigating these and other open questions.
In her interdisciplinary research at the intersection of theoretical physics, computer science, and mathematics, she develops novel computational methods to study quantum field theories. Her work includes designing algorithms for quantum computers and classical computers using machine learning, as well as exploring new models beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. The goal is to make predictions for future experiments that will provide key insights into the fundamental processes of nature. Funcke has already pioneered new approaches in this field—for example, she developed a model to explain the tiny mass of neutrinos.
"I warmly congratulate Lena Funcke on this outstanding award. Her groundbreaking research at the intersection of theoretical physics, mathematics, and computer science is of great importance for the development of new models beyond the Standard Model of particle physics and contributes to a deeper understanding of the fundamental processes of the universe," said Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Michael Hoch, Rector of the University of Bonn. "It is fantastic that the work of this exceptional scientist is now being honored with the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize."
Her Path to the University of Bonn
After studying physics at the University of Münster and the University of Cambridge (UK), Lena Funcke completed her PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Physics and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich at the age of 23. She then spent four years as a postdoctoral researcher, first at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo (Canada) and later at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge (USA), where she published numerous papers in scientific journals. Since fall 2022, Lena Funcke has been a Clausius Junior Professor in the Transdisciplinary Research Area (TRA) "Matter" at the University of Bonn. In the TRAs, researchers collaborate across disciplines and faculties on key scientific, technological, and societal challenges. Additionally, she is a member of the Excellence Cluster Matter and Light for Quantum Computing (ML4Q) and is actively involved in the Color meets Flavor Excellence Cluster Initiative. This initiative, a collaboration between the Universities of Bonn, TU Dortmund, and Siegen, investigates new phenomena in strong and weak interactions and is currently applying for funding under Germany's Excellence Strategy.
For more information about Lena Funcke, read the announcement of her appointment as a Clausius Junior Professor at the University of Bonn: https://www.uni-bonn.de/de/neues/042-20231