Anton Zensus
Astrophysicist.
exploring the universe.
connecting science.
bringing the long view where it matters.
I am an astrophysicist who has spent decades at the frontier of what is knowable — shaping large-scale international collaborations, helping prepare the infrastructures that turn discovery into lasting capability, and connecting fundamental science with the world beyond the laboratory.
Fundamental research expands knowledge, drives progress, and strengthens the foundations on which societies make long-term decisions.
Today, I continue my research — and work with a select number of institutions and individuals where experience, the long view, and independent thinking matter.
first picture of a black hole.
For most of human history, a black hole could only be inferred — never seen.
In 2017, we changed that. Six and a half billion solar masses. Fifty-five million light years. An image that required the resolution to photograph a donut on the moon.
With my team and international partners, I advanced Very Long Baseline Interferometry — linking radio telescopes across the globe into a single instrument the size of the Earth. It took global trust, shared purpose, and the patience to work toward something no single institution could achieve alone.
new chapter.
As emeritus, I continue my astrophysical research — and I work with institutions and leaders at the intersection of science, technology, and international cooperation.
What I bring is not solutions, but perspective: the ability to sit with complexity, to see across systems, and to ask the questions that only experience makes visible.
I take on engagements where the long view matters — and where trust, independence, and a shared sense of purpose make collaboration worthwhile.
- Astrophysicist and Director Emeritus, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy
- Founding Chair, Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration (first image of a black hole)
- Advisor on international scientific cooperation and research policy
- Current advisory roles in international research, development and science policy
- Max Planck Society
- German Research Foundation
- European Astronomical Society
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory
- Associated Universities Inc.
- University of Bonn
- University of Cologne
- Shanghai Astronomical Observatory
- Deutsches Museum
- Scientific and professional affiliations include
- Max Planck Society
- International Astronomical Union
- American Astronomical Society
- Atlantik-Brücke
- selected honors and distinctions
- Karl Schwarzschild Medal 2024 – highest German prize for astrophysics
- Tycho Brahe Medal 2023 – highest European award for observational astronomy
- European Research Council Advanced Grant 2021 – most competitive European research grant
- Max Planck Research Prize for International Cooperation 1999
- Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize 1994
- awards to the EHT Collaboration include
- Breakthrough Prize for Fundamental Physics 2019
- Einstein Medal of the Swiss Albert Einstein Society 2019
- Group Achievement Award of the Royal Society 2021
- Bruno Rossi Group Award of the American Astronomical Society 2020
- further international honors include awards from
- Chinese Academy of Science
- Institute of Applied Astronomy, St. Petersburg
- RadioAstron Mission
- Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes
impact.
science at scale.
Discovery.
I study distant galaxies and the role of supermassive black holes — how magnetic fields shape their environments, and how relativistic jets form in their vicinity.
We continue to push Very Long Baseline Interferometry forward, linking radio telescopes across the globe into an instrument of ever-increasing resolution. My ERC-funded project, M2FINDERS, applies this to one of the most compelling questions in astrophysics: what happens at the jet base of M87's supermassive black hole?
translation.
Discovery becomes lasting value when scientific insight connects with technology, infrastructure, and the people who build both.
The large-scale collaborations I have been part of have advanced specialised technologies and helped train a new generation of scientists and engineers.
governance.
Open science depends on people who take responsibility beyond their own boundaries.
I engage where scientific independence, public trust, and the long-term resilience of research systems are at stake — particularly in international and transatlantic contexts.
discourse.
I have spent decades at the intersection of discovery and responsibility — and I believe scientists who have been there have an obligation to speak.
I contribute to discussions on science, research policy, and international cooperation through interviews, lectures, and extended conversations.
For interviews, panels, or lectures: azensus@mpifr.de
- 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
engagement.
This is where the long view becomes useful to others.
I engage where shared values, trust, and a clear sense of purpose make collaboration worthwhile.
Write me at:
advisory.
I work with institutions and leaders where long-term perspective matters more than quick answers — helping to hold complexity, sharpen questions, and think through what responsibility requires.
mentoring. supervision.
I work with individuals navigating roles that carry weight beyond themselves — in conversations that are collegial, reflective, and grounded in shared experience.
notes.
observations & reflections
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.
