Karin Jacobs is head of a research group at the University of Saarland, Germany. Her group specialises in condensed matter physics. Their research focusses on the properties of thin films, using techniques such as atomic force microscopy, imaging ellipsometry, surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and optical microscopy and UHV techniques like photoelectron spectroscopy.
The aim of their studies is to understand fluid flow at the solid/liquid interface on a nano- and micro scale. The group is also interested in the properties of thin solid films like graphene, where they probe structure and special electronic properties. Additionally, they are interested in the analysis of data from imaging techniques, which enables the quantitative comparison of, for instance, roughness patterns.
Biography: Karin gained her PhD in 1997 at the University of Konstanz and went on to do her post-doc at the Max Planck Institute for Colloid and Interface Research. In 1999 she started as a research assistant at the University of Ulm, Det. Applied Physics, Prof. Dr. S. Herminghaus. In 2001 she became Project Manager at Bayer AG, Bayer Polymers, before becoming University professor at the University of Saarland, head of the working group "Physics of Soft Condensed Matter".