Prof. Dr. Tünnermann honoured with Federal Cross of Merit for pioneering contributions to photonics

The award ceremony, where the insignia of the Order were presented, took place today (07.05.2024) as part of a solemn ceremony in Weimar, where four other socially engaged personalities from Thuringia were also honoured. Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow emphasized the importance of voluntary engagement among the 750,000 Thuringians. "Voluntary work achieves a lot, sets accents, attracts attention, and is often attentive. Without it, our coexistence cannot function. Today's awardees represent the impressive network of volunteers who contribute day by day to making Thuringia a solidary and lively place."

In his laudation for Prof. Tünnermann, Thuringia's Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow highlighted the significant role that the scientist and networker plays in strengthening Germany, particularly Thuringia, as a leading location for research and innovation in photonics and quantum technology. He emphasized that Mr. Tünnermann has significantly contributed to improving the framework conditions for the optical industry in Germany.

For Andreas Tünnermann himself, the award is a great honor and a sign of appreciation for his life's work. He emphasized, "With this special honor, I also see numerous individuals recognized who have inspired and supported me in the development and implementation of ideas in research and teaching. My sincere thanks go to them."

The awarding of the Order of Merit acknowledges Tünnermann's outstanding overall achievements in research and science, including his successes in third-party funding acquisition, his academic publications (according to www.webofscience.comExternal link: 798 publications, H-index: 98), and the supervision of numerous qualification works - including 118 completed doctorates as first supervisor, nearly 100 master's or diploma theses, and 6 habilitations. Special mention was also made of the founding of the "Abbe School of Photonics" and the establishment of the master's program "Photonics" at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, which offer young talents from all over the world excellent training opportunities in the field of photonics. This career offering was expanded through the founding of the Max Planck School of Photonics.

Furthermore, Tünnermann is actively involved in establishing quantum communication as a secure form of data exchange in the digital society of the future. His research in this field significantly contributes to establishing Germany as a leading location for photonics and quantum technologies. Prof. Dr. Tünnermann's expertise has therefore found its way into the agenda for photonics and quantum systems of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

"Prof. Dr. Tünnermann is not only an outstanding researcher but also a role model for future generations of scientists. He has significantly contributed to making Germany a leading location for research and innovation in the field of photonics and quantum technologies. And he has improved the framework conditions for securing and further advancing one of the significant centers of the optical industry in the Federal Republic. For this, I would like to express my warmest thanks to you," said Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow.

The list of Mr Tünnermann’s awards and successes is impressive: In addition to the Order of Merit of the Free State of Thuringia in 2011, he was awarded, among others, the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation in 2005, the ERC Advanced Grant of the European Research Council in 2015, and both the Lothar Späth Prize and the Kaiser Friedrich Research Prize in 2018.

On the occasion of his 60th birthday in 2023, an interview with Prof. Tünnermann about his career milestones and impressive work was published, which you can read here in a two-part interview.