From day one, Prof. Dr. Stephan Paul, as he says, “took the research reactor to his heart,” sat on the MLZ supervisory board, and helped develop the scientific instruments. Now, the professor of hadron and particle physics with neutrons at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has been awarded the MLZ Prize for Instrumentation and Scientific Use for his many years of commitment.

To better understand the dynamics and phase behaviour of protein mixtures under cell-like conditions, a research group from Lund investigated the crystalline proteins of the eye lens at the MLZ. Using neutrons, they showed that macroscopic properties can be predicted surprisingly well using simple mixing rules. The results provide new insights into age-related changes in the lens and open up perspectives for research into diseases such as Alzheimer’s or cataracts.

From 3 December to 4, 2025, the neutron community gathered for the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) User Meeting. Around 230 participants came together – once again in a year without neutrons from Garching, but with a palpable sense of solidarity and a focus on restarting the research neutron source.