Dortmund physicist Doris Reiter receives Emmy-Noether award!

Dortmund physicist Doris Reiter receives Emmy-Noether award!

Dortmund, Deutschland - The European Physical Society (EPS) awarded Professor Doris Reiter for her outstanding achievements in physics in its most recent award. This honor, which has been awarded since 2013, recognizes the achievements of researchers in physics and aims to inspire women to strive for a career in science. The Emmy-Noether awards are particularly indicated by the memory of Amalie Emmy Noether, an outstanding mathematician who is considered one of the most influential mathematicians in the 20th century and is known for their Noether theorem, which describes the connection between symmetries and conservation variables in physics, as wikipedia reported.

This year Prof. Doris Reiter was honored for her groundbreaking contributions to theoretical photonics and quantum technology. She has been working at the TU Dortmund since 2022 and heads an independent research group there. Her research focus is on the theoretical description of the production of high -quality photons for quantum communication. Their innovative work also includes the super schema, a process that works with two laser pulses to increase the photon yield and reduce environmental influences. This work has attracted international attention and opened a new research topic.

Promotion of science communication and promotion of young talent

Prof. Reiter is not only involved in research, but also actively for promoting young scientists. She heads the Dortmund Graduate School of Physics and is active in the German Physical Society (DPG). As part of the international year of quantum science and technology in 2025, she initiated the Outreach project "Quantour", in which a quantum light source travels through Europe and is internationally worth reporting in various media. Such initiatives are crucial to increase the interest in physics and to win a wider audience for scientific topics.

The award of Prof. Reiter increases the visibility of physics research at the TU Dortmund at the international level and reflects a positive trend, since the proportion of women has increased among the physics students in Germany in recent decades. While in 1990 only about 12% of new students were in physics, this proportion is now about 30%, such as women in physics . Historically, women had no access to education and suffered discrimination in academic professions for a long time, which makes the current progress all the more remarkable.

A look at the past

The role of women in physics has changed significantly over the centuries. While women had hardly any human rights and no access to education in the 17th century, they increasingly gained rights through the first wave of the women's movement in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the right to vote and the right to education. Fambantities such as Marie Curie, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, and many other pioneers have contributed to consolidating the position of women in science. Despite these progress, women are still underrepresented in MINT subjects and often have to deal with negative stereotypes and discrimination.

Prof. Doris Reiter's award is another sign of progress and the necessary measures that are taken to give women in science and research a voice and to recognize their achievements. This is particularly relevant at a time when the importance of diversity and inclusion in science is more emphasized.