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New research group in Paderborn: Focus on quantum photonics!
The University of Paderborn receives NRW funding for quantum photonics under the direction of Jun.-Prof. Dr. Güsken from April 2025.
New research group in Paderborn: Focus on quantum photonics!
North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has established itself as one of the leading science locations in Europe. In order to encourage young scientists who have left the country to return, NRW is specifically promoting their return with the return program. Loud uni-paderborn.de Up to six grants of a maximum of 1.25 million euros each are awarded annually for five years in order to build up young talent groups at the universities.
The University of Paderborn has now received one of these coveted grants. Jun. Prof. Dr. From April 2025, Nicholas A. Güsken will lead a new working group in experimental physics as a tenure-track junior professor. This will focus intensively on quantum photonics and optoelectronics. A particular focus of the work is on the manipulation of quantum emitters and the active light-matter interaction. Furthermore, active component interfaces in photonic integrated circuits and networks will be researched.
Funding through the tenure track program
The funding of Jun.-Prof. Güsken is part of the tenure track program initiated by the federal and state governments. The aim is to establish predictable careers for young scientists both at home and abroad. How tenuretrack.de reported that a total of 971 professorships were filled at 75 universities, with 97 percent of the set goal of 1,000 additional professorships being achieved. Güsken's new working group will be part of the Institute for Photonic Quantum Systems (PhoQS) and the “Center for Optoelectronics and Photonics Paderborn” (CeOPP).
The requirements for the return program require, among other things, proof of excellent academic achievements from 2 to 6 years after completing your doctorate and at least one year of research work abroad. This targeted funding is a strategic means of bringing young talent back to NRW, a federal state that has over 70 universities and more than 50 non-university research institutions, such as mkw.nrw explained.
The career of Jun.-Prof. Dr. Güsken
Jun. Prof. Güsken has made a name for himself with his outstanding achievements in science. After studying at RWTH Aachen and Sorbonne University in Paris, he received his doctorate from Imperial College London in 2020 and was awarded the “Imperial College Solid State Physics Thesis Prize 2020” for his dissertation. He then led a research team in a spin-off at ETH Zurich before moving to the “Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials” at Stanford University for his postdoctoral phase.
Recent honors include his election as a member of the Young Academy of the National Academy of Sciences – Leopoldina and the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences. These invitations demonstrate the high level of recognition that Güsken enjoys in the scientific community.
Given the extensive opportunities that NRW offers young scientists, the return program makes a decisive contribution to consolidating the state as an attractive location for research and development and further advancing scientific excellence.