Physics from Erlangen in Regensburg: Flore Kunst receives the 2026 Bernhard Heß Prize
Dr. Flore Kunst is being awarded the Bernhard Heß Prize 2026 for her work in the field of “topological physics – in particular non-Hermitian and topological phenomena in open systems.” Kunst heads a Lise Meitner research group at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Erlangen.
Together with her team, she develops mathematical descriptions of open physical systems. They take environmental effects such as gain and loss of energy into account and arrive at so-called non-Hermitian descriptions of the systems. This approach is highly relevant to quantum optics, electronics, mechanical metamaterials, non-conservative biological systems, and quantum systems, for example. Kunst investigates non-Hermiticity in the context of topology, a branch of mathematics. The combination of non-Hermitian approaches with topology has developed into a new, rapidly expanding, cross-disciplinary research field. Kunst has now received the “Professor Bernhard Heß Lectureship” in 2026.
Dr. Flore Kunst is an outstanding young scientist in contemporary theoretical physics on account of her scientific work and conceptual leadership, said Prof. Dr. Milena Grifoni, Dean of Physics at the University of Regensburg, during the award ceremony. She has developed central theoretical frameworks that redefine concepts such as robustness, symmetry, and localization. Her work has had a lasting impact on the understanding of open quantum systems and photonic systems, the dean emphasized in her laudatory speech.
The award ceremony took place on February 6, 2026, as part of the University of Regensburg’s Physics Day.
About the Bernhard Heß University Foundation
The foundation awards an annual “Professor Bernhard Heß Lectureship” prize of €2,000 in the field of Physics. This award gives outstanding young external scientists the opportunity to give guest lectures within their field in Regensburg and serves to enrich the range of courses offered at the university.
