M. Meedom Nielsen and L. Börjesson elected by and for the European XFEL
The European XFEL welcomed Martin Meedom Nielsen as its Council Chairman, and Lars Börjesson as Council Vice Chairman. The two newly appointed persons begin their mandates during a period crucial to the success of the facility.
To manage the European XFEL, which is a non-profit company, 2 governance bodies have been set up. First, the Management Board is comprised of 5 directors who are working to implement and coordinate efforts for the completion and the operational running of the facility. Secondly, the Council, which is a supreme organ of the company, meets twice a year and decides on main issues of the construction or activities of the European XFEL.
Already 5 years have passed since the European XFEL was founded. The Chairman of the Council from the beginning, Robert Feidenhans’l from the Niels Bohr Institute, Denmark, ended his term in June 2014 as well as the Vice Chairman, Pavol Sovák from Šafárik University, Slovak Republic.
The European XFEL Chairman Martin Meedom Nielsen is from the Technical University of Denmark, and the Vice Chairman, Lars Börjesson is from the Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. European XFEL Managing Directors Massimo Altarelli and Claudia Burger stated: “Both are experienced X-ray scientists whose input will help us build a facility that will open up unique research opportunities to our future users.”
The European XFEL, which is currently under construction, is a major facility that aims to generate ultrashort X-ray flashes at very-high frequency. The next few years will be decisive for the organisation: operation should start in 2017 and the infrastructure and machines need to be ready.
