Space image featuring the text ‘30 years Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics’

Advancing Einstein’s thinking: Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the AEI

On 3 June 2025, the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute; AEI) celebrated its 30th anniversary. An extensive program of welcome addresses, presentations, and panel discussions highlighted the history, present, and future of the institute. The anniversary lecture was given by Nobel Prize laureate Kip Thorne, of the California Institute of Technology.

A woman speaks at the podium during the 30th anniversary celebration, against a backdrop bearing the slogans “Advancing Einstein’s thinking” and “Einstein weiterdenken”

Former staff members and colleagues from around the world attended the all-day event in the Potsdam Science Park.

Manja Schüle, Brandenburg’s Minister of Science, Research, and Culture, gave a welcome address at the ceremony. “For 30 years, the Albert Einstein Institute has been a destination for those who want to explore the unknown, expand their knowledge, and stimulate their imagination,” said the minister. “The Potsdam research center has literally developed into a center of gravity for global scientific exchange in gravitational physics. The AEI is researching the really big questions about the origin of our universe – questions that enrich Brandenburg as a center of science. Congratulations on your anniversary!”

Additional welcome addresses were given by Craig Hogan, the former chair of the Scientific Advisory Board, and Wilhelm Krull, the chair of the institute’s Board of Trustees.

The complete program can be found here.
 

Impressions of the event

All images: © sevens[+]maltry

A group of people interacting at the 30 years helpdesk booth set up outside on a sunny day.
People gathered around a booth at an outdoor event.
Man in a suit giving a presentation on stage with a backdrop celebrating 30 years of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics.
Speaker addressing a seated audience during the 30th anniversary event of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics.
Audience seated in a tent listening to a speaker at a 30th anniversary event for the Max Planck Institute.
Attendees in formal attire chatting during the 30th-anniversary celebration.
A woman delivers a speech at a 30th anniversary event for the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, with attendees seated and a large backdrop featuring cosmic imagery and the phrases "Advancing Einstein’s thinking" and "Einstein weiterdenken."
A man delivers a speech at a 30th anniversary event for the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, with attendees seated and a large backdrop featuring cosmic imagery and the phrases "Advancing Einstein’s thinking" and "Einstein weiterdenken."
Speaker addressing an audience at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics' 30th anniversary event, with a banner displaying "Advancing Einstein’s thinking" and the institute’s name.
Speaker addressing an audience at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics' 30th anniversary event, with a banner displaying "Advancing Einstein’s thinking" and the institute’s name.
Speaker addressing a diverse audience at the AEI 30 event, with presentation screens displaying topics on the AEI's reputation and Einstein's legacy.
Man standing in front of a backdrop with "30 years" and Max Planck Institute logo.
Four individuals seated on a stage engaged in a panel discussion during the 30th anniversary event of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics.
Four individuals seated on a stage engaged in a panel discussion during the 30th anniversary event of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics.
Conference setting with numerous participants seated in a large white tent, watching a presentation on a stage marked by a 30-year research anniversary banner and projection screens.
A woman stands behind a podium with a microphone, delivering a presentation at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics 30th anniversary event.
Female musician performing with an electronic instrument (a theremin) on a stage decorated with a banner celebrating 30 years of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics.
Female musician seated and playing a theremin during a performance on stage.
Female musician using hand movements to play a theremin during a live performance.
Six individuals seated on a stage engaged in a panel discussion during the 30th anniversary event of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics.
A woman with a microphone speaking while two others listen attentively during a panel event with a starry backdrop.
Six individuals seated on a stage engaged in a panel discussion during the 30th anniversary event of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics.
Man with glasses and a white beard giving a speech, standing behind a table with a laptop.
A man and a woman sit in white chairs on a stage with a backdrop reading "Advancing Einstein's thinking" and "30 years Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics."
Speaker presenting at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics 30th anniversary with an audience seated in front.
Man in a blue suit delivering a speech at the 30th anniversary event of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics.
Attendees entering large white event tents on a lawn, with some people seated inside a smaller tent on the left.
Large group of people standing outside a modern office building.
Group of diverse adults seated in rows, focused on a speaker or presentation at a formal gathering.
Diverse group of people sitting in rows of chairs, focusing on a speaker or presentation at an outdoor gathering.
A group of six individuals standing on a stage, with a woman in a white skirt giving a bouquet of flowers to another woman, against a backdrop celebrating 30 years of the Max Planck Institute.
Seven speakers positioned on a stage addressing an audience during the 30th anniversary event of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics.
Female presenter wearing a green blazer and white shirt, holding notes, speaking with a microphone headset against a cosmic backdrop.
Audience listening to a speaker in front of a screen displaying "30 years Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics."
Person holding a booklet titled "30 years Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics."
Group of people sitting in rows, focusing on a man reading a detailed program leaflet with text and a "30 years" heading.

Research milestones

The institute, with locations in Potsdam and Hannover, is a world-leading research center specializing in general relativity and beyond. Its research spectrum includes developing a theory that unifies quantum field theory and general relativity, research on gravitational waves, neutron stars, and black holes, finding analytical and numerical solutions to Einstein’s equations, analyzing data from gravitational-wave detectors using highly efficient methods, and developing and operating gravitational-wave detectors on Earth and in space.

Throughout its 30-year history, the AEI’s international researchers have contributed to several significant milestones that have had a lasting impact on the global scientific community.

  • In the search for a mathematically consistent description of quantum gravity, the institute’s scientists have contributed to all major current research directions and developed novel ideas to overcome difficulties in existing approaches.
  • AEI researchers have explored the fundamental principles of Einstein’s theory to improve the mathematical description of gravity, the understanding of the geometry of space-time, of cosmological models, and of numerical methods.
  • The first detection of gravitational waves from a binary black-hole merger on September 14, 2015, marked the beginning of a new era of astronomy, fundamentally changing our view of the universe. AEI researchers made significant contributions to this Nobel Prize-winning breakthrough by developing highly accurate waveform models to detect the signal and extract astrophysical information from it, building extremely sensitive detectors, and developing innovative and efficient data analysis methods. By joining the citizen science project Einstein@Home, the public can also participate in the search for astronomical signals. AEI scientists are shaping the present and future of the field by making key contributions to the observation and interpretation of hundreds of gravitational-wave signals that continue to be detected by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration, planned European Einstein Telescope and US Cosmic Explorer, the LISA space mission, and several pulsar timing arrays.
  • The success of the LISA Pathfinder satellite test mission paved the way for LISA, a gravitational-wave observatory in space. Scheduled to launch in the mid-2030s as an ESA mission with a large contribution from NASA, LISA will observe low-frequency gravitational waves that are undetectable on Earth. The institute’s researchers have always played a leading role in the development of experimental and theoretical aspects of this mission and its science.
  • Another strong AEI research focus is complex numerical simulations of extreme astrophysical events to make predictions for multi-messenger astronomy, i.e., the observation of different signals from the same source.
  • AEI scientists are also engaged in fundamental physics. Using methods from theoretical and experimental physics, they search for new explanations for the nature of still mysterious dark matter.

Around 400 researchers, PhD students, undergraduates, and technical and administrative staff are currently working at the Institute’s two sites in Potsdam and Hannover. This makes the AEI the world’s largest research institution dedicated to studying gravity and the general theory of relativity.

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