Prof. Dr. Winfried Petry

Academic Career and Research Areas

Professor Petry (b. 1951) investigates the functional properties of materials by means of light, X-ray- and neutron-scattering. He designed the instrumentation of the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) and was head of its working group for high-density uranium fuels.

After studying physics at TUM, Winfried Petry obtained his PhD in 1981. From 1982 to 1992 he continued his scientific career at the Institut Laue-Langevin, France. In 1992 he completed his postdoctoral teaching qualification (habilitation) at LMU Munich. In the same year he was appointed professor at the TUM Department of Physics. From 1995 onwards he dedicated himself to the new German neutron source FRM II and was appointed as its Scientific Director in 2001. He is also the Founding Director of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum, the scientific cooperation established in 2011 between TUM and the Helmholtz centres Forschungszentrum Jülich and Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht.

Since retiring from his posts in March 2018, Professor Petry has continued to serve as liaison professor to the Bavarian Elite Academy and as a member of the supervisory boards of several research institutes. In his capacity as Emeritus of Excellence, he draws on his knowledge and experience to advise TUM on its future development.

Awards

• Honorary Member of the German Nuclear Society (2018)
• Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2008)
• Honorary Professor of the Chinese Institute of Atomic Energy (2006)