Welcome and thank you for visiting the website of the biophysics department at the GSI in Darmstadt. The biophysics department is an interdisciplinary collaboration of biologists, physicists, chemists, biochemists and technicians.
The multidisciplinary research in our group covers many different topics which can be roughly summarized in the categories radiobiology, physics, space research and therapy.
The biophysics research at GSI is a part of a large international network of more than 40 groups from universities and other research Institutes.
13.03.2026 | Safer space travel — Cosmic ray simulator at GSI/FAIR
(GSI/FAIR press release) Cosmic rays are one of the greatest challenges for space travel and pose a considerable risk to humans and materials. For the first time on European soil, an international research team in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) has succeeded in providing a simulator for Galactic Cosmic Rays at the GSI/FAIR accelerator facility in Darmstadt, Germany. The results have been published in two articles in the journal “Life Sciences in Space Research. More>>
24.11.2025 | Christoph-Schmelzer Award presented to two young researchers
(GSI-FAIR press release) Two young researchers have been awarded this year’s Christoph Schmelzer Prize: Dr. Cristina Totis from the Technical University of Darmstadt and Dr. Stefanie Bertschi from the Technical University of Dresden were honored for their outstanding doctoral theses. The award, presented annually by the Association for the Promotion of Tumor Therapy with Heavy Ions, recognizes exceptional research in the field of ion beam cancer therapy. The recipients accepted their awards on November 20 during a ceremonial event at the GSI/FAIR campus in Darmstadt. Read more >>
It is the birthplace of a new form of cancer treatment. This development was the result of many years of research in conjunction with GSI’s large ion-beam accelerator system. The advantage of this new treatment modality is that the ion beam selectively damages tumor tissues while sparing the surrounding healthy tissues.
