Prof. Dr. Harald Engel - Curriculum Vitae

Harald Engel


born in Leipzig, Germany,
on October 27, 1952
married, four children





Education

1971 – 1976
Study of physics at the University of Odessa

1976
Physics diploma degree from the University of Odessa.
Diploma thesis (Theoretical Physics) with I. S. Fischer on velocity autocorrelations in simple fluids

1981
PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) at the Humboldt-University Berlin.
PhD thesis (Theoretical Physics) with Werner Ebeling on noise-induced bifurcations in nonlinear dynamical systems

1989
Habilitation (Theoretical Physics) at the Humboldt-University Berlin on spontaneous pattern formation in non- equilibrium systems

Professional

1976 – 1979
Research associate at the Institute for Theoretical Physics of Fluids at the University of Rostock

1979 – 1988
Research associate at the Institute for Statistical Thermodynamics and Theoretical Biophysics at the Humboldt-University Berlin

1982 – 1983
Postdoctoral fellow with Juri L. Klimontovich at the Institute for Wave Processes, Physics Department at Lomonosov-University, Moscov

1989 – 1993
Head of the Department "Stability of chemical processes and reactors" at the Institute for Physical Chemistry (ZIPC), GDR Academy of Sciences

1994 – 2002
Leader of the research group "Dissipative structures", WIP

1998 – 1999
Visiting professor at the Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Saarbrücken

1998 – 2010
Project leader within the DFG-Collaborative Research Centre 555 "Complex Nonlinear Systems"
January 2002 – present Full professor for Theoretical Physics at the TU Berlin


Research fields

• nonlinear dynamics and pattern formation in spatially extended non-equilibrium systems

• nonlinear dissipative waves: wave solutions to reaction-diffusion equations, waves in excitable media, control of spiral waves

• nonlinear stochastic processes: noise-induced patterns, wave propagation in media with fluctuating parameters

Further activities (selection)

• Founding and board member of the Berlin Center for Studies in Complex Chemical Systems

• Professional referee for the Cusanus-Foundation awarding scholarships to exceptionally gifted students