In November 2019, Prof. Constantin Haefner assumed responsibility as the director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (Fraunhofer ILT; Aachen, Germany). He also took over the chair for laser technology at nearby RWTH Aachen University. Because of fallout from the global pandemic, he had an unusual introduction as the head of these most illustrious organizations.
Haefner studied physics at the University of Konstanz and obtained a Ph.D. in laser physics from the University of Heidelberg. In 2004, he moved to the United States, first to the Nevada Terawatt Facility at the University of Nevada, Reno. Two years later, he moved to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore CA) as Program Director for Advanced Photon Technologies, where he headed up the development of the world’s most powerful laser systems and conducted R&D into pioneering laser technologies until 2019.
