Anton Zensus
Astrophysicist.
exploring the universe.
bridging continents.
thinking at the horizon.
I shaped the global collaboration behind the first image of a black hole. Today, I focus on scientific cooperation across borders in an era of geopolitical tension.
- Director Emeritus, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy
- Research on black holes with Earth-sized telescope arrays
- Chair, North America Roundtable, Max Planck Society
- Member, China Council, Max Planck Society
- Member, Atlantik-Brücke
- Ombudsperson, Chemistry, Physics & Technology Section, Max Planck Society
- Mentor, Elisabeth-Schiemann-Kolleg, Max Planck Society
- Advisory: University of Bonn, ngVLA, AUI, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, ELT-METIS, KoWi
- Board of Trustees, Deutsches Museum
- Director, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (1997–2026)
- Founding Speaker, International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Astronomy & Astrophysics (2002–2026)
- Honorary Professor, University of Cologne (since 2005)
- Coordinator, European RadioNet Consortium (2014–2026)
- Founding Chair, Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration Board (2015–2023)
- Principal Investigator, ERC Advanced Grant M2FINDERS (2021–2026)
- Elected Member, Physics Review Board, German Research Foundation DFG (2024–2026)
- personal honors and distinctions include
- Karl Schwarzschild Prize, Goethe University Frankfurt (2026)
- Karl Schwarzschild Medal, German Astronomical Society (2024)
- Tycho Brahe Medal, European Astronomical Society (2023)
- Max Planck Research Prize for International Cooperation (1999)
- Humboldt Research Award (1994)
- EHT Collaboration awards include
- Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (2019)
- Einstein Medal, Swiss Albert Einstein Society (2019)
perspectives.
impact.
Discovery.
For most of human history, black holes could only be inferred — never seen.
In 2019, we changed that. The first image revealed the shadow of a black hole 55 million light-years away, with a mass of 6.5 billion suns. Capturing it required an Earth-sized telescope — and decades of scientific and technological innovation. Working with my team and international partners, I helped advance Very Long Baseline Interferometry and establish the global Event Horizon Telescope collaboration that made the image possible.
The questions that led to this discovery continue to drive my research. Building on my ERC Advanced Grant M2FINDERS, we continue to investigate magnetic fields and the launching of relativistic jets near supermassive black holes.
collaboration.
Much of my career has been devoted to building collaborations — connecting researchers, observatories, and institutions across national boundaries to pursue shared scientific goals.
I have learned that trust takes time to build, and that sustaining cooperation can be as demanding as achieving the science itself.
responsibility.
Scientific experience brings responsibility beyond one’s own research.
I contribute to international dialogue and institutional advice on scientific freedom, research security, and cooperation under geopolitical pressure.
How can we preserve openness while addressing legitimate security concerns? And how do we sustain scientific ties when political relations become strained?
in the media.
Selected interviews, lectures, and media contributions.
- Terra X Lesch & Co LIVE: Das erste Foto von Sagittarius A*! Mit Reinhard Genzel und Anton Zensus
- Das Unsichtbare sichtbar machen - Bilder von Schwarzen Löchern von Anton Zensus
- Radio Views: EHT Image of the Black Hole in SgrA* - MPIfR scientists tell the story
- European Southern Observatory (ESO): Unveiling Sgr A*, the black hole at the centre of our galaxy
- Anton Zensus on defending science funding
- An astounding coincidence with theory | April 10, 2019 | Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
- Spellbound by the Black Hole | Humboldt Kosmos 111/2020 (english)
- Im Bann des Schwarzen Lochs | Humboldt Kosmos 111/2020 (deutsch)
- Big Techday 22: Making the Invisible Visible - Imaging Black Holes - Prof. Dr. J. Anton Zensus
contact.
Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy
Prof. Dr. J. Anton Zensus
With gratitude to the global community of scientists, engineers, and institutions whose work continues beyond any individual.
