Professor Dr. Karin Jacobs - Vice President of the DFG since 2021

Portrait of the member of the Executive Committee - Prof. Dr. Karin Jacobs

Prof. Dr. Karin Jacobs

© Universität des Saarlandes / J. Pütz

Position

Full Professor W3 (tenured), Saarland University, Department of Physics and Center for Biophysics, Saarbrücken, Germany
 

Degree programme

YearDescription
1986 - 1992    Physics, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany                                                                                                 

Doctorate

YearDescription
02/1997                        Dissertation supervised by Prof. Dr. Günter Schatz, Experimental Physics, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany; co-supervised by Prof. Dr. Jacob Klein, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (summa cum laude)

Stages of academic/professional career 

YearDescription
since 2009Professor (W3) of Experimental Physics, Department of Physics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
2002 - 2008Professor (C3) of Experimental Physics, Department of Physics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
2001 - 2002Project Leader, Central Research Department, Bayer AG, Leverkusen, Germany
1999 - 2001   Assistant Professor (C1), Applied Physics, University of Ulm, Germany (Prof. Dr. Stephan Herminghaus)
1997 - 1999     Postdoctoral researcher, Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces, Berlin-Adlershof (now in Potsdam-Golm), Germany, Prof. Dr. Helmuth Möhwald / Prof. Dr. Stephan Herminghaus
1992 - 1997                   Research assistant, Experimental Physics, University of Konstanz and visiting researcher at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, Prof. Dr. Jacob Klein

Activities in the Research System

YearDescription
since 2025Co-editor, PhysikJournal (German Physical Society)
since 2022Vice President of the DFG
since 2019Founding Member, Scientists for Future, Saarland
since 2019           Member and Deputy Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, Leibniz Institute for New Materials (INM), Saarbrücken
2017 - 2022Member, Committee of Experts for the Excellence Strategy
2016 - 2022Member, German Science and Humanities Council (Wissenschaftsrat, WR); Chair, Evaluation Committee
since 2015 Member, Expert Committees of the Ministries of Science of North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse
since 2015 Member, Scientific Commission, LOEWE Research Programme, Hesse
2013 - 2025Member, Executive Board, Collaborative Research Centre SFB 1027, Saarland University
2010 - 2013 Member, Advisory Board, PhysikJournal
2010 - 2012 Chair, Women’s Council, Saarland University
2009 - 2013Member, Expert Panels for Regional Excellence Initiatives (Hamburg and Rhineland-Palatinate)
since 2008 Member of the advisory board of several SMEs
2006 - 2012 Member, DFG Senate Committee on Collaborative Research Centres
since 2006Mentor on various mentoring programmes (Saarland University, University of Stuttgart, Helmholtz Association, Fraunhofer)
since 2006          Founder and Coordinator “UniCamp for Girls” and the school project “Lab-in-a-Box(externer Link) (German only), Saarland University
2005 - 2006 Dean of Studies, Faculty of Physics, Saarland University
2004 - 2010 Coordinator, DFG Priority Programme SPP 1164 “Nano- and Microfluidics”

Member of Collaborative Research Networks or Consortia

YearDescription
since 2025SPP 2494 Productive Biofilm Systems (Biotechnology)
since 2024SPP 2451 Engineered Living Materials with Adaptive Functions (Materials Science)
since 2021SPP 2332 Physics of Parasitism (Biophysics)
since 2020SPP 2264 Random Geometric Systems (Mathematics)
2013 - 2025                        CRC 1027 Physical modelling of non-equilibrium processes in biological systems, Saarland University (Biophysics)
2010 - 2012BMBF project: "Tribologische Innovationen mit Graphenen: Ansätze zur extremen Reibminderung (TIGeR)" (Tribological Innovations with Graphene: Approaches to Extreme Friction Reduction (TIGeR))
2004 - 2019SPP 1164 Nano and Mikrofluidics
2004 - 2008ERA-Net Polyfilm: Confined polymer films: Deviations from bulk behavior 
2002 - 2009German-French Research Training Group GRK 532, Physical Methods for the Structural Investigation of New Materials
1999 - 2005SPP 1052, "Benetzung und Strukturbildung" (Wetting and Structure Formation)

Scientific Results

  1. C. Spengler, E. Maikranz, B. Glatz, M.A. Klatt, H. Heintz, M. Bischoff, L. Santen, A. Fery, K. Jacobs: The adhesion capability of Staphylococcus aureus cells is heterogeneously distributed over the cell envelope, Soft Matter 20 (2024) 484 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01045g
  2. C. Spengler, E. Maikranz, L. Santen, and K. Jacobs: Modelling bacterial adhesion to unconditioned abiotic surfaces, Front. Mech. Eng. 7 (2021) 661370, DOI: 10.3389/ fmech.2021.661370
  3. S. Kumari, G. Lang, E. DeSimone, C. Spengler, V. Trossmann, S. Lücker, M. Hudel, K. Jacobs, N. Krämer, T. Scheibel: Engineered spider silk-based 2D and 3D materials prevent microbial infestation, Materials Today 41 (2020) 21
  4. C. Spengler, F. Nolle, J. Mischo, T. Faidt, S. Grandthyll, N. Thewes, M. Koch, F. Müller, M. Bischoff, M. A. Klatt, K. Jacobs: Strength of bacterial adhesion on nano-structured surfaces quantified by substrate morphometry, Nanoscale 11 (2019) 19713
  5. D. Peschka, S. Haefner, L. Marquant, K. Jacobs, A. Münch, and B. Wagner, Signatures of slip in dewetting polymer films, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 116 (2019) 9275
  6. H. Hähl, J.N. Vargas, A. Griffo, P. Laaksonen, G. Szilvay, M. Lienemann, K. Jacobs, R. Seemann, J.-B. Fleury. Pure Protein Bilayers and Vesicles from Native Fungal Hydrophobins. Adv. Mat. 29:1602888 (2017)
  7. C. Spengler, N. Thewes, Ph. Jung, M. Bischoff, K. Jacobs. Determination of the nano-scaled contact area of Staphylococcal cells. Nanoscale 9: 10084 (2017)
  8. J.D. McGraw, T. S. Chan, S. Maurer, T. Salez, M. Benzaquen, E. Raphaël, M. Brinkmann, K. Jacobs. Slip-mediated dewetting of polymer microdroplets. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 113: 1168 (2016).
  9. N. Thewes, A. Thewes, P. Loskill, H. Peisker, M. Bischoff, M. Herrmann, L. Santen, K. Jacobs. Stochastic binding of Staphylococcus aureus to hydrophobic surfaces. Soft Matter 11: 8913 (2015).
  10. S. Haefner, M. Benzaquen, O. Bäumchen, T. Salez, R. Peters, J.D. McGraw, K. Jacobs, E. Raphaël, K. Dalnoki-Veress: Influence of Slip on the Plateau-Rayleigh Instability on a Fibre, Nature Comm. 6 (2015) 7409
     
  1. Essay; K. Jacobs: “Sie sind hier sicher falsch! Eine Wissenschaftskarriere aus der Perspektive einer (Bio-)Physikprofessorin(externer Link) (German only); Laborjournal 7 (2024) 8
  2. Lecture in the Beilstein Talks series: K. Jacobs: “Why do things stick? The physics of adhesion and adsorption in biological systems(externer Link); Beilstein-Institut zur Förderung der Chemischen Wissenschaften (2024) DOI: 10.5446/67581
  3. Public outreach project “Lab-in-a-Box(externer Link) (German only): “Lab-in-a-Box” is an experimental platform for hands-on physics experiments in schools, developed over several years in collaboration with pre-service teachers. Secondary school teachers can borrow these kits for a day or a week. They contain experiments on selected physics topics (fluid physics, force physics, adhesion, energy conversion) with explanatory material at varying levels of detail.
  4. Surface Analysis Service Centre: My group runs the Surface Analysis Service Centre(externer Link) at Saarland University, which serves the needs of the university’s internal research community. External and industrial enquiries are handled via a Steinbeis Transfer Center. Core technique: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), supplemented with scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), force spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and contact angle measurements.

Academic Distinctions

YearDescription
since 2022Corresponding Member, Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities 
since 2019        Fellow of the newly founded Max Planck School “Matter to Life” (since re-appointed twice, most recently in May 2025)
since 2015 Full Member, Academy of Sciences and Literature, Mainz
2014 - 2016Two-Year Fellow, Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Saarbrücken
2015Beller Lectureship of the American Physical Society (APS)
1998Byk Award, Herbert Quandt Foundation (prize for best doctoral dissertation)
1996 Schloessman Prize (postdoctoral fellowship), Max Planck Society