Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg appoints Prof. Dr. Simone Schopf as visiting professor

On July 1, 2024, Prof. Dr. Simone Schopf was appointed Visiting Professorship in the Department of Circular Economy at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg. The appointment was made within the framework of the federal and state-funded Women Professors Program III.

Prof. Dr. Simone Schopf has been working at the Fraunhofer FEP in Dresden since October 2019 and initially headed the Biotechnology working group. She has been Head of the Biomedical Laboratory Unit at Fraunhofer FEP since October 2023.

Focus on research and expertise

Prof. Dr. Schopf brings her extensive expertise to research and focuses on low-energy electron beam technology for biotechnological applications in the life sciences and environmental sciences.

Under her leadership, the Fraunhofer FEP has made significant progress, particularly through the development of a novel process to enhance microbial ore leaching (bioleaching). This process offers promising applications for raw material extraction, recycling processes and wastewater treatment.

Academic experience and teaching activities

In addition to her scientific expertise, Prof. Dr. Schopf has valuable teaching experience that benefits BTU students. As a DAAD short-term lecturer for biotechnology in mining, she worked for several months at the German-Mongolian University of Resources and Technology in Ulaanbaatar, where she gained extensive experience in academic teaching, which she would now like to build on at BTU. “Working with students offers me a valuable opportunity. The change of perspective that the exchange with young people enables is of great importance for my personal and professional development,” explains Prof. Schopf about working with the students.

In her role as a visiting professor at BTU, Prof. Dr. Schopf has the opportunity to pass on her specialist knowledge and focus intensively on her research into biofilms in environmental processes. The aim is to strengthen her own profile and to further deepen her experience in teaching, research and staff management.

We are delighted about the appointment of Prof. Dr. Simone Schopf as a visiting professor at the BTU and look forward to the close cooperation and future positive synergies for research in the field of environmental technology processes between the Fraunhofer FEP and the BTU Cottbus.