For his decisive influence on the development of Leibniz University, particularly in the field of quantum optics, Prof. Dr Herbert Welling received honorary citizenship of the university on 3 March 2025. Welling contributed to basic research on lasers and recognised the great potential of laser physics early on.
In 1974, he was appointed Director of the Institute of Applied Physics, which was renamed the Institute of Quantum Optics in 1982 and subsequently developed into a globally recognised research institution.
Welling advanced the specialisation of physics in Hanover - towards laser physics and quantum optics. He cooperated with the Physikalische Technische Bundesanstalt, co-founded the Laser Zentrum Hannover and succeeded in establishing the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Hannover. Today, the two main research areas of optical technologies and quantum optics and gravitational physics are firmly established and have an international reputation. Without his work, successful flagship projects such as the Clusters of Excellence QuantumFrontiers and PhoenixD would hardly have been possible.
Read the Leibniz University press release
