Nicholas Güsken: The irritating power of quantum physics
07:00 pm
BRICKS Club Berlin, Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Straße 30, 10117 Berlin
In research, progress often starts with observations that irritate the researcher and upend established wisdom. For Nicholas Güsken, a quantum physicist at the University of Paderborn, this sense of unease is what drives discovery. What are the irritations produced by quantum physics? How is quantum physics changing our understanding of the world? What technological transformations lie ahead? An evening about wonder, the power of chance, and the productive energy of irritation.
Nicholas Güsken investigates how individual photons – the smallest light particles – can be controlled and harnessed for new technologies. Some materials interact with light in such a way that they use light particles as information carriers. Güsken’s projects usually start with the aim of demonstrating a new mechanism, an application, or an effect. In the process, however, he often discovers unexpected phenomena that lead to new explanations. Recently, he was researching a material that changes color and texture under water, like the skin of a squid. This project came about by chance when his group noticed that it was possible to program different coefficients of expansion in the material using electron beams. He regularly comes across phenomena that contradict established theories – this is where the creative power of irritation lies, he believes. Güsken will explain how light and matter interact on the nano scale and why this is crucial for technological development, and offers insights into his discovery process.
In collaboration with Die Junge Akademie
About the speaker
Nicholas Güsken, a physicist and nanotechnologist, joined Paderborn University last year from Stanford University. In Paderborn he is establishing the Chair of Quantum Photonics & Optoelectronics. Güsken completed his PhD in light-matter interactions at Imperial College London and secured a Leopoldina fellowship to conduct research at Stanford on optical interfaces. His appointment in Paderborn was facilitated by collaboration between the university, the Wübben Foundation, and the Returning Scholars Program of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. He has been a member of Die Junge Akademie since 2025.
Registration
Please irritate me! on March 26, 2026, 7 pm (doors open 6:30 pm). The event will be held in German.
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Please irritate me! discussion seriesseries
Together with guests from science and society, we provide a platform for surprising ideas, neglected questions, and unusual approaches to research. We are interested in topics that question familiar thought patterns. In new perspectives that get us thinking. And in academics who, with curiosity and courage, explore the boundaries of human knowledge – frontiers where new insights are often sparked by a feeling of irritation. We look forward to seeing you at one of our events!