Juergen Popp

Jürgen Popp is the Chair of Physical Chemistry at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. He also serves as Scientific Director of the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz-IPHT) in Jena, where he has built a globally leading research environment in photonic biomedical technologies. He studied chemistry at the Universities of Erlangen and Würzburg and received his PhD in chemistry before undertaking postdoctoral research at Yale University and completed his habilitation at the University of Würzburg.

His research spans the full innovation pipeline - from laser-based spectroscopy and imaging fundamentals to their translation into clinically applicable diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, with particular impact in infection research, oncology, and precision medicine. Under his leadership, photonic approaches with a strong focus on Raman spectroscopic methods have been advanced into powerful tools for label-free, real-time biomedical diagnostics.

Popp is the author of more than 1,140 peer-reviewed scientific publications, cited over 44,600 times, resulting in an h-index of 88. His work has also led to 21 patents and more than 200 invited talks worldwide, including over 60 keynote and plenary lectures. He has played a central role in shaping the international photonics community, notably as organizer of major conferences such as ICORS, the world’s largest conference on Raman spectroscopy.

He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Biophotonics and Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, a member of the Executive Board of Photonics21, and a frequent advisor to policymakers and media. His awards and honors include the Ellis R. Lippincott Award, the Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award, the Charles Mann Award, and an honorary doctorate from the University at Albany.