Heino Falcke#
Photo: Arie Wapenaar
| Membership Number: | 3689 |
| Membership type: | ORDINARY |
| Section: | EARTH & COSMIC SCIENCES |
| Elected: | 2013 |
| Main Country of Residence: | THE NETHERLANDS |
| Homepage(s): | https://heinofalcke.org/ https://www.ru.nl/en/people/falcke-h |
Present and Previous Positions
- 2007 - present Full Professor of Astroparticle Physics and Radio Astronomy, Institute for Mathematics, Astronomy and Particle Physics (IMAPP), Radboud University, Nijmegen
- 2003 Senior Scientist & International Project Scientist LOFAR at ASTRON, Dwingeloo
- 2003 Substitute Professor (C3-Lehrstuhlvertretung), I. Physikalischen Institut der Universität zu Köln
- 2002 "Bijzonder Hoogleraar" (adjunct professor) in High-Energy Astrophysics at the University of Nijmegen
- 2001 Venia Legendi in astrophysics and "Privatdozent" (private lecturer) at the University of Bonn
- 1999 Staff scientist at the MPIfR, Bonn
- 1999 Visiting Professor, Steward Observatory, Tucson, Arizona
- 1997 DFG Stipendiary (Habilitationsstipendium)
- 1995 Research Associate at the University of Maryland
- 1994 Max-Planck Stipendiary in the Optical Interferometry group of the MPIfR
- 1992 Research assistant, PhD studies (advisor Prof. P. L. Biermann) at the MPIfR and University of Bonn
Fields of Scholarship
- High-energy astrophysics
- Astroparticle physics
- Black hole astrophysics
- Radio astronomy
Honours and Awards
- 2023 Balzan Prize for High resolution images: from planetary to cosmic objects "for being the first to envision imaging the immediate surroundings of a black hole, and for his leadership of the “Event Horizon Telescope”, specifically designed for this purpose. This telescope produced the sharpest images ever of what surrounds black holes in the distant galaxy known as M87 and in our own galaxy, the Milky Way, thereby validating Einstein’s General Relativity in situations where gravity is so strong that spacetime is significantly curved"
- 2021 Robert M. Petrie Prize
- 2021 Amaldi Medal
- 2021 Henry-Draper medal of the US National Academy of Sciences "for his pioneering work for imaging black holes"
- 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Fundament Physics
- 2020 RAS Team Prize (as part of the EHT Collaboration)
- 2020 Einstein Medal
- 2014 Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW)
- 2013 European Research Council Synergy Grant
- 2011 Spinoza award
- 2009 Helmholtz lecturer, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
- 2008 European Research Council Advanced Investigator Grant
- 2006 Visiting Miller Professorship Award, University of California, Berkeley
- 2006 Academy Award, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (former Prussian Academy of Science)
- 2000 Ludwig-Biermann-Award for outstanding young scientist, Astronomische Gesellschaft
- The International Astronomical Union named asteroid 12654 (Heinofalcke) after him
- Honorary doctorates at FPTR in Brussels, and University of Novi Gorica
