Georg Held
About Georg Held
Georg Held is a Principal Beamline Scientist at Diamond Light Source, where he leads the VerSoX beamline project focusing on soft X-ray spectroscopy. He has a strong academic background with a PhD in Physics from TU Munich and has held various academic positions, including Visiting Professor at the University of Reading.
Work at Diamond Light Source
Georg Held serves as the Principal Beamline Scientist at Diamond Light Source, a position he has held since 2019. He leads the VerSoX beamline project, which specializes in near-ambient pressure and high-throughput soft X-ray spectroscopy. The VerSoX beamline began operations in 2017 and is instrumental in supporting high-impact research in catalysis. His work involves the development of synchrotron-based photoelectron and X-ray absorption spectroscopy, particularly focusing on near-ambient-pressure studies of chiral and catalytic systems.
Education and Expertise
Georg Held earned his Dipl. Phys. in Physics from TU Munich, where he studied from 1982 to 1989. He continued his education at the same institution, obtaining a PhD (Dr rer nat) from 1989 to 1994. His academic background provides a strong foundation for his research in surface chemistry and spectroscopy. He has also been a Visiting Professor at the University of Reading since 2019.
Background
Before joining Diamond Light Source, Georg Held was a Professor of Surface Chemistry at the University of Reading from 2006 to 2019. He also served as a Lecturer at the University of Cambridge from 2001 to 2006. His extensive academic career has contributed to his expertise in surface crystallography methods, particularly using Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED).
Achievements
Georg Held has delivered over 100 invited talks at international conferences and research institutes, showcasing his contributions to the field. He has co-authored more than 130 papers and book articles, which have collectively received over 3000 citations. Additionally, he is involved in proposal evaluation and scientific advisory committees at several leading synchrotron facilities, including BESSY, SLS, ALS, and MAX-IV.