Users of synchrotron radiation in Germany have re-elected their representatives to the Committee Research with Synchrotron Radiation. Among the eight elected members is PD Dr. habil. Friedrich Roth from the Institute of Experimental Physics at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg.

Roth works at the Professorship for Research with XFELs and Synchrotron Radiation. His research focuses in particular on photoelectron spectroscopic and time-resolved investigations of materials and their interfaces. To this end, he regularly works at major national and international research facilities such as synchrotron radiation sources and free-electron lasers.

“I am delighted by the trust placed in me by the user community and look forward to contributing to the KFS over the next three years,” says Roth. “Large-scale research facilities are indispensable for many areas of modern materials research. At the same time, these facilities thrive on an active user community. It is important to me to represent the interests of this community and to play a part in the future development of research infrastructures and their potential applications.”

The Committee Research with Synchrotron Radiation represents the interests of users of synchrotron radiation sources in Germany. In doing so, the KFS maintains contact with, amongst others, the scientific directors of the research centres, the relevant project management organisation and the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).

In the 2026 election, Katrin Amann-Winkel, Bernd Hinrichsen, Birgit Kanngießer, Dirk Lützenkirchen-Hecht, Martina Müller, Venera Weinhardt and Max Wilke were elected to the committee alongside Friedrich Roth. The inaugural meeting of the new KFS will take place on 16 November 2026. The new chair will also be elected at that meeting.

The election also highlights the strong links between TU Bergakademie Freiberg and major national and international research institutions. Just recently, a research project led by Roth completed a new experimental setup for time-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at the BESSY II synchrotron radiation source in Berlin. The facility is set to be made available to international user groups for their own experiments from 2027.

The Committee for Research using Synchrotron Radiation (KFS) is the elected representative body of the synchrotron radiation user community in Germany. In the 2026 election, the voter turnout stood at 23 per cent. The eight elected members will represent the community for the next three years.