Bert Andre Nickel

Bert Nickel joined the physics department in July 2003. In 2008, he finished his habilitation and was promoted to lecturer (Privatdozent). Bert's research focuses on organic-inorganic interfaces using x-ray and neutron diffraction. Systems which are studied include organic thin films for application in electronics and biological interfaces. Bert graduated in Wuppertal. During his PhD with Prof. H. Dosch at the Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung in Stuttgart, he spent 2 1/2 years at Grenoble (ILL and ESRF), working on phase transitions in confinement and on the influence of roughness on magnetic interfaces. Afterwards, he spent his postdoc at Princeton University with Prof. G. Scoles, working on self-assembled monolayers and organic thin films.

Visit the Nickel group research homepage

Work experience / Fellowships

December 2009	Appointment as Universitätsprofessor at LMU (four-month deputyship)
April 2009	Appointment as Universitätsprofessor at LMU (four-month deputyship)
September 2008	Appointment as Privatdozent at LMU
July 2007	Principal junior investigator at NIM
January 2004	Extraordinary member at CeNS
July 2003	Wissenschaftlicher Assistent at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Associated with Prof. Joachim O. Rädler (Soft Matter and Biophysics group).

Habilitation (LMU + Princeton U.)

July 2008	Lehrbefugniss (venia legendi)
July 2008	Inaugural lecture PALM microscopy: imaging of fluorescent proteins with nanometer resolution
April 2008	Habilitation thesis An experimental study of the structure and function of organic thin films and biomembranes
February 2006	Faculty colloquium Soft matter at hard interfaces: ordering phenomena in complex lipid membranes & thin films
July 2001	Visiting Research Fellow at Princeton University, Chemistry Department. Associated with Prof. Giacinto Scoles. 2 years fellowship provided by DFG Ni 632/1-1 and Princeton University

PhD thesis (MPI Stuttgart + ILL Grenoble)

Jun.12, 2001	PhD-degree (Dr.rer.nat) by Universität Stuttgart, Fakultät für Physik. Faculty supervisor: Prof. Dr. Helmut Dosch. Ordering phenomena in FeCo-films and Fe/Cr multilayers: an X-ray and neutron scattering study.
July 2000	1 year stay at Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung, Stuttgart, Germany.
Jan. 1998	2½ years stay at Institut-Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France.
Oct. 1996	Start of PhD-thesis at Bergische Universität GH Wuppertal, Germany.

University (Wuppertal)

Sept. 1996

Diploma: Untersuchung kritischer Phänomene in Fe3Al mit Röntgenstreuung. Faculty supervisor: Prof. Dr. Helmut Dosch, Bergische Universität GH Wuppertal.

Teaching at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität

Lectures

• Vorlesung Streumethoden SoSe 09
• Vorlesung und Übung zu Einführung in die Physik für Pharmazeuten und Biologen, WiSe 07/08
• Vorlesung und Übung zu Festkörperphysik für Lehramtskandidaten, SoSe 06, WiSe 09/10
• Ringvorlesung Materialwissenschaften I, WiSe 05/06, WiSe 08/09, WiSe 09/10
• Ringvorlesung Materialwissenschaften II (Organische Halbleiter), SoSe 06, SoSe 08, SoSe 09

Tutorials

• Übung zu Physik II für Biologen und Chemiker, SoSe 04
• Übung zu Physik I für Physiker, WiSe 04/05, WiSe 08/09
• Nachklausur zu Physik I+II für Physiker, WiSe 05/06

Seminars

• Aktuelle Fragen der Physik weicher Materie, mit J. Rädler, WiSe 02/03 - SoSe 09
• Hauptseminar zu Biophysik an Grenzflächen und in Nanostrukturen, SoSe 04 (mit F. Simmel), WiSe 04/05 (mit F. Simmel und B. Maier)
• Hauptseminar zu Molecular Electronics mit U. Beierlein und F. Simmel, SoSe 05
• Hauptseminar zu Biophysik der Zelle, WiSe 05/06 mit F. Simmel und T. Liedl
• Hauptseminar zu Streumethoden und abbildende Techniken in der Biophysik, WiSe 06/07 mit Prof. J. Rädler
• Literaturseminar zu Biophysik an Grenzflächen und molekulare Elektronik, SoSe 07, SoSe 08, WiSe 08/09

Lab work

• Überarbeitung des Laue-Versuchs im Fortgeschrittenenpraktikum, Durchführung der Versuche mit den Studenten, WiSe 03/04

National and international conferences and workshops

• Workshop on Trends and Perspectives in Neutron Scattering on Soft Matter (JCNS), Tutzing (10/2009)
  Asymmetry of anionic and glycolipid containing supported bilayers: neutron reflectometry results from REFSANS
• Neutrons and x-ray meet biolog (HMI), Berlin (2/2009)
  Lipid-protein interactions studied by x-ray and neutron reflectometry
  Combining neutron reflectivity and fluorescence microscopy to study biological interfaces
• Deutsche Neutronenstreutagung 2008, Garching (09/2008)
  Combining neutron reflectivity and fluorescence microscopy to study biological interfaces
• X-rays Meet Nanofabrication, Cornell NanoScale Facility and CHESS (06/2008, invited)
  Nanostructure and Function of Biointerfaces and Organic Field Effect Devices
• EUROMAT7, Nürnberg (September 07, talk)
  Structure of the pentacene thin film phase
• FRM-II meeting, Burg Rothenfels (July 2007, invited talk + chair)
  Current challenges for neutrons in biophysics and proteomics
• European Conference on Neutron Scattering, Lund (June 2007, talk)
  Membrane associated proteins study by combining neutron reflectivity and fluorescence microscopy
• Lüscher Seminar, Klosters, Schweiz (Februar 2006, invited talk)
  Soft matter interfaces: Transistors and biomembranes
• Frühjahrstagung der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft, Regensburg (Mar. 07, talk)
  Molecular structure, charge transport, and photo response of pentacene TFTs
• ACA meeting, Hawaii (July 2006, invited talk)
  Structure and fluidity of solid supported membranes
• MRS spring meeting, San Francisco (April 2006, talk)
  X-ray reflectivity and fluorescence microscopy on solid supported membranes: structure-function relations
• Frühjahrstagung der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft, Berlin (Mar. 05, talk)
  Synchrotron diffraction studies on solid-supported membranes in a microfluidic environment
• CeNS: Linking disciplines, conference at Venice International University (Oct. 04, talk)
  'ffraction techniques to access (bio-)molecular ordering at hard walls
• Surface X-Ray and Neutron Scattering 8, Bad Honnef (July 04, talk)
  Organic thin film growth: the case of pentacene
• DPG march meeting, Regensburg (Mar. 04, poster)
• CeNS workshop at Kloster Seon (Sep. 03, poster)
• March meeting of the American Physical Society, Austin, USA (Mar. 03, talk)
• Surface X-Ray and Neutron Scattering 7, Lake Tahoe, USA (Sep. 02, poster)
• E-MRS Strassburg, Frankreich (June 02, talk)
• NSLS user meeting 2002, Upton, New York, USA (May 02, poster)
• March meeting of the American Physical Society, Indianapolis, USA (Mar. 02, talk)
• Gordon research conference on x-ray physics, Connecticut, USA (July 01, poster)
• Frühjahrstagung der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft, Hamburg, Deutschland (Mar. 01, talk)
• Polarized neutron conference, St.Petersburg, Rußland (July 2000, talk)
• Frühjahrstagung der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft, Regensburg, Deutschland (Mar. 2000, talk)

Seminars

• Universität Lübeck (9/2009)
  Nanostructure of biomembranes and biosensor applications
• Universität Bayreuth (7/2009)
  Organic electronics and lipid bilayers:an exciting alliance towards electronic petri dishes
• Technische Universität München (4/2009)
  Organic thin film transistors: a new class of chemical and optical transducers, invited by P.Lugli
• Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung (2/2009)
  Profiling of biointerfaces: insights from x-ray and neutron reflectometry, invited By E. Barrena
• RWTH Aachen (8/2008)
  An x-ray vision of structure-function relationships in organic electronics and biointerfaces, invited by V. Meden
• MPI Biochemie (5/2008)
  Organic transistors based on pentacene films, invited by Peter Fromherz
• Houston University (4/2008)
  An x-ray vision of structure-function relationships in organic electronics and biointerfaces, invited by Simon Moss
• LMU, Kristallographie (12/07)
  Elektronische Bauteile auf Basis von hochgeordneten organischen Schichten, invited by Wolfgang Schmahl
• Johannes-Gutenberg Universität Mainz (10/2007)
  The hydrophobic effect, invited by Heinz Decker
• Universität Stuttgart, October 2007
  "Lipid membranes and organic transistors: A report from the interface of hard and soft matter", invited by Prof. Wachtrup
• Universität Heidelberg, Mai 2007
  "Structure and fluidity of supported bilayers", invited by Patrick Koelsch
• Humbolt Universität, Berlin, Mai 2007
  "Self-assembly phenomena in organic thin films: Lessons from membranes and transistors", invited by Norbert Koch (SFB)
• CIPSNAC meeting, Dublin, April 2006
  "X-ray reflectivity and fluorescence microscopy on solid supported membranes: structure-function relations", invited by Kenneth Dawson
• Beiratssitzung FRM-II, Garching, Februar 2006
  "Substratgestützte Membranen und Biopolymerfilme: Biophysikalische Experimente am FRM-II (Refsans)"
• PSI, Villingen, Schweiz, Februar 2006, Seminar
  "Weiche Materie an harten Grenzflächen: Ordnungsphänomene in komplexen Lipidmembranen und dünnen Filmen", invited by Thomas Gutberlet
• LMU, Department für Physik, Februar 2006, Fakultätsvortrag
  "Weiche Materie an harten Grenzflächen: Ordnungsphänomene in komplexen Lipidmembranen und dünnen Filmen"
• LMU, Institut für BioMolekulare Optik, Januar 2006, Seminar
  "Organic thin films: structure function relations", invited by Stefan Lochbrunner
• LMU, Institut für Photonics, November 2005, Seminar
  "Soft matter at hard interfaces", invited by Robert Kraus
• CNR-Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, Bologna, August 2005, Seminar
  "Supported membranes and biofuctional interfaces", invited by Fabio Biscarini
• Sincrotrone Triest, July 2005, Seminar
  "Mixed membranes on charged surfaces", invited by Prof. Scoles
• LMU München, July 2005 , Seminar Molekulare Grundlagen der Biophysik:
  "Struktur Biologischer Grenzflächen", invited by Prof. Zinth
• LMU München, May 2005 , Tutorial: Organic thin film growth: Pentacene TFTs
• TU München, June 2004, E13 group seminar, invited by P. Mueller-Buschbaum
• LMU München, Nov. 2003 , Tutorial: X-Ray Reflectitivty
• Universität Stuttgart, Oct. 2003, Aktuelle Fragen der Festkörperphysik, invited by J. Pflaum
• NIST, Feb. 2003, Biophysics group seminar, invited by D. Vanderah
• Columbia University, Jan. 2003, group seminar, invited by Bruce
• LMU München, Nov. 2002 ,CeNS Seminar, invited by J. Rädler
• Universität Saarbrücken, Nov. 2002, invited by C. Groß
• NSLS, Aug. 2002, Friday Lunch Seminar, invited by L. Bermann
• Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung, Juli 2002, Diffraction Club, invited by H. Dosch
• Universität Essen, July 2002, group seminar, invited by F. Meyer zu Heringdorf
• Princeton University, Dec. 2001, Supergroup meeting, invited by A. Kahn
• NSLS, Oct. 2001, Friday Lunch Seminar, invited by W. Calibe
• Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung, Jan. 2001, Ringberg Kolloqium, invited by H. Reichert

Meetings

• Institute of Experimental Medicine of Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest, Oktober 2006, EU-BIODOT 6M-meeting
  LMU Activity report, invited by Emilia Madarasz
• DFG Schwerpunkttreffen SP 1121, Bad Honneff (June 2007, talk)
  Molecular structure, charge transport, and photo response of pentacene TFTs
• Refsans workshop, Garching (March 2007, talk)
  Biomembranes
• CNR-Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, Bologna, Oktober 2006, EU-BIODOT Kickoff meeting
  Pentacene devices, invited by Fabio Biscarini
• DFG OFET-Treffen, Würzburg (Oct. 05, poster)
  Injektionsbarrieren und Defektschichten in Pentacene Transistoren: 4-Punkt-Messungen und Röntgenstreuung
• SFB meeting Donaustauf (May 04, talk)
• GENNESYS workshop, Heidelberg (April 04, talk)

Complete list of publications

Selected Publications

• S. Schiefer, M.Huth, A. Dobrinevski, B. Nickel
  Determination of the crystal structure of substrate-induced pentacene polymorphs in fibre structured thin films
  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129 Iss. 34 (2007) get article

• M. R. Horton, C. Reich, A. P. Gast, J. O. Rädler, B. Nickel
  Structure and dynamics of crystalline protein layers peripherally bound to supported lipid bilayers
  Langmuir 23 6263 (2007) get article

• N. Koch, I. Salzmann, J.P. Rabe, A. Vollmer, H. Weiss, B. Nickel
  Evidence for Electron Band Dispersion in Pentacene
  Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 156803 (2006) get article

• C. Reich, M. Hochrein, B. Krause, B. Nickel
  A Microfluidic Setup for Studies of Solid-Liquid Interfaces using X-ray Reflectivity and Fluorescence Microscopy
  Review of Scientific Instruments 76, 095103 (2005) get article

• B. Nickel, R. Barabash, R. Ruiz, N. Koch, A. Kahn, L. C. Feldman, R. F. Haglund, G. Scoles
  Dislocation Arrangements in Pentacene Thin Films
  Phys. Rev. B 70, 125401 (2003) get article

• R.Ruiz, B.Nickel, N.Koch, G.Scoles, L.C.Feldman, R.F.Haglund, A.Kahn, F.Family, G.Scoles
  Dynamic Scaling, Island Size Distribution, and Morphology in the Aggregation Regime of Submonolayer Pentacene Films
  Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 136102 (2003)

• L.Casalis, M. F.Danisman, B.Nickel, G.Bracco, S.Ianotta, and G.Scoles
  Hyperthermal Molecular Beam Deposition of Highly Ordered Organic Thin Films
  Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 206101 (2003)

• B.Nickel, F.Schlesener, W.Donner, C.Detlefs, H.Dosch,
  Crossover between strong- and weak-field critical adsorption and the determination of the universal exponent eta (perp.)
  J. Chem. Phys. 117, 902 (2002)

• B.Nickel, J.Major, W.Donner, A.Rühm, H.Dosch et al.,
  Spin-resolved off-specular neutron scattering maps from magnetic multilayers using polarized 3He gas as a neutron spin filter
  Rev. Sci. Inst. 72, 163 (2001)

• B.Nickel, W.Donner, H.Dosch et al.,
  Critical adsorption and dimensional crossover in epitaxial FeCo films
  Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 134 (2000)