MPG-Logo
Signing the contract for the new Max Planck Center (from left): Yu-tin Huang (NTU, deputy co-Director), Daniel Baumann (NTU, co-director), Wen-Chang Chen (President of NTU), Claudia Felser (Vice President of MPG), Johannes Henn (MPP, co-director), and Matias Zaldarriaga (IAS, deputy co-Director); Photo: Tsu-Ying Chiang

Signing the contract for the new Max Planck Center (from left): Yu-tin Huang (NTU, deputy co-Director), Daniel Baumann (NTU, co-director), Wen-Chang Chen (President of NTU), Claudia Felser (Vice President of MPG), Johannes Henn (MPP, co-director), and Matias Zaldarriaga (IAS, deputy co-Director); Photo: Tsu-Ying Chiang

New Max Planck Center for Particle Physics, Cosmology, and Geometry inaugurated

On 1 September 2025, the Max Planck Society, the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, USA), and National Taiwan University (Taipei, Taiwan) officially opened the Max Planck–IAS–NTU Center for Particle Physics, Cosmology, and Geometry in Taipei. The ceremony brought together distinguished guests including Claudia Felser (Vice President, Max Planck Society), Eiichiro Komatsu (Director, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics), and Yen-Ping Hsueh (Director, Max Planck Institute for Biology).

A highlight was the ceremonial exchange of the agreement, signed by Claudia Felser and Wen-Chang Chen (President of NTU). This was followed by addresses from the co-directors of the Max Planck Center (MPC), Johannes Henn (Max Planck Institute for Physics) and Daniel Baumann (NTU) as well as from deputy co-director Matias Zaldarriaga (Richard Black Professor at the IAS). In their speeches, they emphasized the importance of uniting particle physics, cosmology, and mathematics in this ambitious collaboration.

 “The MPC unites expertise in particle physics, cosmology, and mathematics under one umbrella, aiming to create what has been described as a ‘cosmic Rosetta Stone’ for understanding the Universe across scales”, said Daniel Baumann.

Johannes Henn added: “At the Department of Quantum Field Theory at the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Garching, we are committed to excellence, identifying talent and recruiting the best people. The Max Planck Center will enable us to expand this commitment by embedding our work within a global network of excellence.”

Program and research goals of the new center

The theories researchers use to describe the Universe at small and large scales – from the Standard Model of particle physics to general relativity—have proven incredibly successful. Yet, such theories remain incompatible with one another and carry their own limitations. The new Max Planck Center aims to help close this gap and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the Universe.

Particle physics seeks to understand the fundamental building blocks of matter at scales smaller than the proton or neutron, while cosmology considers the structure and evolution of the Universe on the largest scales. By uniting these three disciplines, researchers hope to gain new insights into the Universe that would otherwise be inaccessible from the perspective of each field alone. 

The Center started operations a few months before the official inauguration, with five years of initial funding. The kick-off conference at IAS is planned for March 16–20, 2026.

Print