Three Inspiring Retreats in the Summer of 2025

Three Inspiring Retreats in the Summer of 2025
In the late summer of this year, members of the Laboratory for Lightwave Metrology enjoyed three memorable retreats that strengthened our scientific collaboration, fostered new ideas, and brought the team even closer together.

Alpine Collaboration Retreat – Spitzsteinhaus, Austria

Our first retreat was supported by the Wilhelm und Else Heraeus-Stiftung, and took place high in the Austrian Alps, where we were joined by the groups of Prof. Christina Jörg and Prof. Georg von Freymann at the RPTU and Fraunhofer ITWM. We hiked to the Spitzsteinhaus mountain hut and spent four inspiring days surrounded by breathtaking alpine scenery. The program combined strategy discussions on future research directions with team-building activities, including a summit hike to the Spitzstein (1,596 m), and evenings filled with traditional Austrian food and good company. The shared experiences strengthened existing collaborations and sparked new scientific ideas.

Strategy Retreat – Villa Denis, Diemerstein

Our second retreat brought together the RPTU Kaiserslautern and Leibniz-IPHT Jena teams at the historic Villa Denis, nestled in the Pfälzer Wald. Over several days, we exchanged recent results, discussed long-term goals, and developed roadmaps for upcoming research initiatives.
Between productive sessions, the group enjoyed hikes through the forest, evening social activities, and plenty of time to connect. The retreat left everyone energized and ready to tackle new scientific challenges together.

Autumn seminar – Jerzens, Austria

Our third retreat brought together the Leibniz IPHT team and the Spectroscopy and Imaging department of Leibniz-IPHT in the beautiful setting of the Austrian Alps, in Jerzens. The three-day annual autumn seminar of the department brings together colleagues from different work groups for scientific discussion and insightful presentations showcasing the diverse research being carried out in the department.

Our PhD students – Aarya, Lakshya, and Florian – together with postdocs Jan, Aleksandra, and Bhashwar, presented their research on field-resolved spectroscopy of biological matter as well as other ongoing projects within the group.

Each morning began with a collaborative breakfast preparation before we set out for hiking in the Alps. After a day of hiking, evenings were spent cooking dinner together, followed by scientific talks, and ending the night with some games.