{{Short description|German scientist (born 1960)}} {{Infobox scientist |name = Klaus Kern |image = |image_size = |caption = |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|3|24|df=y}} |birth_place = Deesen, Germany |residence = |death_date = <!--{{death date and age| | | | | | }}--> |death_place = |field = Physical Chemistry |work_institution = Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research and EPFL |alma_mater = |doctoral_advisor = |doctoral_students = Magalí Lingenfelder |known_for = |prizes = Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, van't Hoff Prize |religion = |footnotes = }} '''Klaus Kern ''' (born 24 March 1960) is a German physical chemist. Kern received the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft in 2008.<ref name="auto">{{Cite journal|url=https://actu.epfl.ch/news/prof-klaus-kern-gottfried-wilhelm-leibniz-prize-20/|title=Prof. Klaus Kern - Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz Prize 2008|first=Research|last=Office|date=December 31, 2008|via=actu.epfl.ch}}</ref> == Biography == Kern studied at the University of Bonn chemistry and physics, and received his Ph.D. in 1986. ==Research== He worked first at the Jülich Research Centre (1986-1991) and at Bell Labs as visiting research fellow in 1988. He then became professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in 1991. Since 1998, he is one of the directors of the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://phys.org/news/2022-01-subfemtosecond-imaging-quantum-electronic-coherences.html|title=Subfemtosecond imaging of quantum electronic coherences in molecules |author=Max Planck Society|access-date=2022-07-16|date=2022-01-31|website=phys.org|quote=By cleverly combining established techniques of tunneling microscopy and laser spectroscopy, a team led by Klaus Kern, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, has now overcome these obstacles. Using their atomic quantum microscope, they can make the movement of electrons in individual molecules visible.}}</ref>
Through his research and publications, Kern has pioneered the bottom-up fabrication and characterization of nanostructures all the way down to molecular and atomic length scales. He and his group have developed novel methods to control atomic and molecular interactions at surfaces which have provided the unique ability to engineer atomic and molecular architectures of well-defined size, shape, composition and functionality. With Manish Garg, Kern developed a microscope for observing extremely fast processes at the quantum scale; allowing for electron tracking at the scale of individual atoms.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mpg.de/14389376/an-ultrafast-microscope-for-the-quantum-world|title=An ultrafast microscope for the quantum world|website=www.mpg.de}}</ref>
{{asof|2024}}, his ''h''-index is 132 according to Google Scholar.<ref>{{Google scholar id|9FTiahEAAAAJ}}</ref> ==Awards== In 2008, he received the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, which is the highest honour awarded in German research.<ref name="auto"/> ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.fkf.mpg.de/63192/Prof_Dr_Klaus_Kern Webpage of Klaus Kern (MPI Stuttgart)] *[https://www.mpg.de/371863/solid-state-research-kern Entry of Klaus Kern on Webpage of Max Planck Society] {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Kern, Klaus}} Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century German chemists Category:21st-century German physicists Category:Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize winners Category:University of Bonn alumni Category:Max Planck Institute directors