As of 1 July 2026, former Vice Chairman Ryszard Sobierajski is the new Chairman of the European XFEL Council, following Federico Boscherini, whose second and final two-year term as Council Chairman ended as scheduled. Slovak Council delegate Karel Saksl has taken office as the new Vice Chairman of the international research organisation.

Thomas Feurer, Chairman of the Management Board of European XFEL, congratulated both Sobierajski and Saksl, and thanked the outgoing Chairman Federico Boscherini for his dedication and contributions: “We are also very happy to welcome Ryszard and Karel as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Council. Their extensive expertise and commitment to European XFEL and the Council will greatly benefit the ongoing strategic development of European XFEL as a world-leading facility in its field”, Feurer said. 

Ryszard Sobierajski, who has served as Vice Chairman of the Council since January 2025, brings a wealth of experience in research and science management to his new role. He is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland, and has been a delegate for Poland on the European XFEL Council since 2020. He has also served as chair of the Proposal Review Panel for the HED-HIBEF instrument at European XFEL, and he is a board member of the Polish Synchrotron Radiation Society. “I would like to thank Federico Boscherini for his outstanding leadership over the past four years and the Council for the trust it has placed in me”, Ryszard Sobierajski said. “European XFEL provides unique research opportunities to a broad community from many fields and countries. Together with Vice Chairman Karel Saksl, the Management Board, and Council delegates, I look forward to supporting its continued scientific excellence and contributing to its further development.”

Karel Saksl, Dean of the Faculty of Materials, Metallurgy and Recycling at the Technical University of Košice, will serve as Vice Chairperson, also contributing significant experience to the leadership team. Saksl has served on the Council as a delegate for the Slovak Republic since May 2010 and was – even prior to its founding – also involved in other roles at European XFEL.

Federico Boscherini, outgoing Chairman of the European XFEL Council, said: “It has been a great honour to serve as Council Chair of European XFEL, an outstanding facility, for four exciting years full of challenges and achievements. I would like to thank the shareholders for their trust in me and the Management Board for their excellent collaboration. The Council is in excellent hands with the new Chairman, Ryszard Sobierajski, and Vice Chairman, Karel Saksl.” 

The European XFEL Council is the highest governing body of the X-ray laser facility, facilitating significant decisions regarding its strategic direction. The Council Chairman and Vice Chairman are elected by the Council’s delegates for two-year terms, with the possibility of re-election for a second term.

It is worth noting that Professor Ryszard Sobierajski has been collaborating with the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) for many years as part of the consortium implementing the "Support for Polish EuXFEL Users" project. The project's mission is to foster and strengthen the participation of Polish scientists in research conducted using the European XFEL infrastructure.

Professor Sobierajski's appointment as Chairman of the European XFEL Council is a significant achievement not only for the organisation itself, but also for the Polish scientific community. We are immensely proud that a Polish scientist has been elected to such a prestigious position within the highest governing body of European XFEL GmbH. We are also delighted to have been working with Professor Sobierajski for many years on the "Support for Polish EuXFEL Users" project, jointly contributing to the growth of the Polish user community at one of the world's most advanced research infrastructures.