Annual Report 2024 - Institute of Resource Ecology - HZDR-134

Sep 10, 2026

Annual Report 2024 for the Institute of Resource Ecology (HZDR-134) presents the institute’s institutional developments, research focus, and operational achievements during a challenging year. It highlights strengthened university collaborations through new joint appointments, outlines applied basic research to protect people and the environment from radioactivity, and describes the interdisciplinary capabilities of radiochemistry, actinide chemistry, geo-/biosciences, materials, and reactor physics. Selected indicators include expanded third-party funding and peer-reviewed publications, supported by advanced infrastructure and facilities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages115

Reading Time4 h 50 min

AccessFree to download

Preface

Institutional developments and university appointments

Research focus and interdisciplinary approach

Infrastructure, facilities, and publication highlights

Wissenschaftlich-Technische Berichte HZDR-134 2025 . ISSN 2191-8708 HZDR-134 ANNUAL REPORT 2024 Institute of Resource Ecology Wissenschaftlich-Technische Berichte HZDR-134 Annual Report 2024 Institute of Resource Ecology Editorial board: Prof. Dr. Thorsten Stumpf Dr. Harald Foerstendorf Dr. Frank Bok Dr. Anke Richter Impressum Print edition: ISSN 2191-8708 Electronic edition: ISSN 2191-8716 The electronic edition is published under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND): [https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-40922](https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-40922) [https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:d120-qucosa2-957490](https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:d120-qucosa2-957490)[ ](https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:d120-qucosa2-957490)[Published by Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden](Published by Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden)–[Rossendorf e.V](Rossendorf e.V). Contact Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden–Rossendorf e.V. Institute of Resource Ecology Bautzner Landstraße 400 D-01328 Dresden Germany Phone: +49 (0) 351 260 3210 Fax: +49 (0) 351 260 3553 e-mail: [contact.resourceecology@hzdr.de](contact.resourceecology@hzdr.de) [https://www.hzdr.de/fwo](https://www.hzdr.de/fwo) This report is also available at [https://www.hzdr.de/fwo](https://www.hzdr.de/fwo) Cover picture Four colleagues from the Institute of Resource Ecology have recently been appointed as professors at various universities in Germany and abroad. From left to right: Kvashnina, Kristina O. Joint appointment as professor at Department of Physics, Engineering, Earth Sciences, Environment and Mechanics (PhITEM) and Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTerre), Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), France, and HZDR. Fischer, Cornelius Joint appointment as professor for Radiochemistry and Radioecology, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany, and HZDR. Huittinen, Nina M. Professor of Radiochemistry, Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Schmidt, Moritz Joint appointment as professor of Coordination Chemistry with a focus on radionuclides, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Germany, and HZDR Cover pictures taken by Denis Morel for HZDR (outer left), private (left), and André Wirsig for HZDR (right and outer right) . Preface DEAR INTERESTED READERS, DEAR COLLEAGUES, 2024 was another very challenging year. Wage increases combined with a reduced budget led to staff cuts, which also had an impact on scientific work at the institute. At least, we were able to partially compensate this by a further increase of third-party funding. The institute's most important success in 2024 was to strengthen the institutional links with universities. For years, we have been pursuing the goal of placing scientific work at the Institute of Resource Ecology (IRE) on a broader basis. Following the appointment of Kristina Kvashnina to the University of Grenoble in 2023, we now have been successful to establish joint appointments with the University of Leipzig (Cornelius Fischer) and the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (Moritz Schmidt) . In addition, Nina Huittinen was appointed to the Free University of Berlin. Like her two colleagues Cornelius Fischer and Moritz Schmidt, Nina Huittinen will continue to be employed as head of a department at the IRE. Portraits of all four successful scientists can be found on the front cover of this annual report. The IRE is one of the ten institutes of the HelmholtzZentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) . Our research activities are mainly integrated into the program “Nuclear Waste Management, Safety and Radiation Research (NUSAFE)” of the Helmholtz Association (HGF) and focus on the topics “Safety of Nuclear Waste Disposal” and“Safety Research for Nuclear Reactors”. The program NUSAFE, and therefore all work which is done at IRE, belong to the research field “Energy” of the H

FAQs

What major institutional focus shaped the Institute’s work in 2024?

The report emphasizes strengthening institutional links with universities through new and extended joint appointments, building broader collaboration for scientific work at the Institute of Resource Ecology.

What are the institute’s main research topics and goals?

Research aims to protect humans and the environment from radioactivity effects by developing molecular process understanding and applying it to reactor and repository safety and radioecology.

What kinds of infrastructure support the institute’s research in multiple locations?

The institute relies on chemical and biological laboratories as well as hot cells in radiation and biological safety labs in Dresden, Leipzig, and Grenoble, including access to advanced experimental capabilities at ESRF in Grenoble.

Sep 10, 2026

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