The University of Arizona announced Friday that Horst Hahn, an esteemed materials scientist and foreign member of the National Academy of Engineering, has joined the university as a special advisor to the senior vice president for Research, Innovation & Impact. 

Hahn will serve as strategic architect for the university's fusion energy research initiatives, leading a comprehensive, interdisciplinary program that drives scientific innovation and fosters impactful collaborations and partnerships with academic institutions, national laboratories, the U.S. Department of Energy and the private sector. 

His appointment aligns with the university's commitment – supported by the Arizona Board of Regents – to positioning itself and Southern Arizona as a global leader in fusion energy engineering, technology, workforce development and commercialization. U of A President Suresh Garimella has identified the university's work in fusion energy as a strategic imperative.

Hahn has had a distinguished career in materials science and engineering, with decades of experience leading transformative research in advanced materials, nanotechnology and energy systems. His election to the National Academy of Engineering recognizes his contributions to the field, including the development of novel materials with applications in energy and industrial technology. 

Hahn is a Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Inventors and the Materials Research Society, as well as a Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering and the Indian National Science Academy. He also is an Honorary Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, a Bengalurua member of the Leopoldina – the German Academy of Sciences, and a member of the European Academy of Sciences. His work has earned him several prestigious awards, including the Robert Franklin Mehl Award from The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and the Heyn Denkmünze of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Materialkunde – the highest award from the German Society for Materials Science.

Hahn has held key leadership positions, including executive director of the Institute of Nanotechnology at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, head of the KIT-TUD Joint Research Laboratory for Nanomaterials at Germany's Technical University of Darmstadt, and founding director of Germany's Helmholtz Institute Ulm for Electrochemical Energy Storage. His research focuses on high-entropy materials, nanocrystalline structures, printed electronics and energy storage solutions, and he has about 600 peer-reviewed publications and more than 70 patents.

"Dr. Hahn's expertise in materials science and deep knowledge of energy technologies make him an invaluable asset to our research leadership team," said Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, senior vice president for Research, Innovation & Impact. "His contributions will drive our fusion engineering and commercialization initiatives forward, reinforcing the university's commitment to tackling global grand challenges while advancing innovation that supports Arizona's economic growth and workforce development."

As special advisor, Hahn will focus on securing funding, building collaborative networks and ensuring that the university's fusion energy engineering and technology initiatives align with national energy priorities and the drive to commercialize fusion energy in the next decade. He will cultivate strategic partnerships with industry, government agencies, research organizations and other academic institutions while providing expert guidance to university leadership on trends and advancements in fusion energy research. 

Additionally, Hahn will play a key role in shaping interdisciplinary research teams and securing competitive grants from agencies such as the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.