Professor Dr. Karin Jacobs - Vice President of the DFG since 2021
Position
Full Professor W3 (tenured), Saarland University, Department of Physics and Center for Biophysics, Saarbrücken, Germany
Degree programme
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 1986 - 1992 | Physics, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany |
Doctorate
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 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
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| since 2009 | Professor (W3) of Experimental Physics, Department of Physics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany |
| 2002 - 2008 | Professor (C3) of Experimental Physics, Department of Physics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany |
| 2001 - 2002 | Project 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
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| since 2025 | Co-editor, PhysikJournal (German Physical Society) |
| since 2022 | Vice President of the DFG |
| since 2019 | Founding Member, Scientists for Future, Saarland |
| since 2019 | Member and Deputy Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, Leibniz Institute for New Materials (INM), Saarbrücken |
| 2017 - 2022 | Member, Committee of Experts for the Excellence Strategy |
| 2016 - 2022 | Member, 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 - 2025 | Member, Executive Board, Collaborative Research Centre SFB 1027, Saarland University |
| 2010 - 2013 | Member, Advisory Board, PhysikJournal |
| 2010 - 2012 | Chair, Women’s Council, Saarland University |
| 2009 - 2013 | Member, 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 2006 | Mentor 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
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| since 2025 | SPP 2494 Productive Biofilm Systems (Biotechnology) |
| since 2024 | SPP 2451 Engineered Living Materials with Adaptive Functions (Materials Science) |
| since 2021 | SPP 2332 Physics of Parasitism (Biophysics) |
| since 2020 | SPP 2264 Random Geometric Systems (Mathematics) |
| 2013 - 2025 | CRC 1027 Physical modelling of non-equilibrium processes in biological systems, Saarland University (Biophysics) |
| 2010 - 2012 | BMBF project: "Tribologische Innovationen mit Graphenen: Ansätze zur extremen Reibminderung (TIGeR)" (Tribological Innovations with Graphene: Approaches to Extreme Friction Reduction (TIGeR)) |
| 2004 - 2019 | SPP 1164 Nano and Mikrofluidics |
| 2004 - 2008 | ERA-Net Polyfilm: Confined polymer films: Deviations from bulk behavior |
| 2002 - 2009 | German-French Research Training Group GRK 532, Physical Methods for the Structural Investigation of New Materials |
| 1999 - 2005 | SPP 1052, "Benetzung und Strukturbildung" (Wetting and Structure Formation) |
Scientific Results
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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)
- C. Spengler, N. Thewes, Ph. Jung, M. Bischoff, K. Jacobs. Determination of the nano-scaled contact area of Staphylococcal cells. Nanoscale 9: 10084 (2017)
- 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).
- 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).
- 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
- Essay; K. Jacobs: “Sie sind hier sicher falsch! Eine Wissenschaftskarriere aus der Perspektive einer (Bio-)Physikprofessorin(externer Link) (German only); Laborjournal 7 (2024) 8
- 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
- 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.
- Surface Analysis Service Centre: My group runs the Surface Analysis Service Centr(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
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| since 2022 | Corresponding 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 - 2016 | Two-Year Fellow, Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Saarbrücken |
| 2015 | Beller Lectureship of the American Physical Society (APS) |
| 1998 | Byk Award, Herbert Quandt Foundation (prize for best doctoral dissertation) |
| 1996 | Schloessman Prize (postdoctoral fellowship), Max Planck Society |