At the end of September, Prof. Dr. Johannes Bernardi will retire after almost two decades at the helm of USTEM and a professional career that has had a lasting impact on the microscopy infrastructure at TU Wien.

Since 2006, Dr. Bernardi has headed the University Service Facility for Transmission Electron Microscopy (USTEM) and driven its continuous expansion. Under his leadership, both the team and the equipment pool grew, from the expansion of the TEM portfolio to innovative FIB and analytical systems. He was particularly proud of further developing USTEM as a joint platform for many departments, thereby promoting interdisciplinary research at TU Wien.

In addition to his organizational duties, Dr. Bernardi remained an active researcher, with 188 scientific publications, participation in international projects, and as a driving force at conferences.

Colleagues and employees appreciate him for his inclusive leadership style and technological foresight. For Bernardi, high-end instruments were never just a service, but always a driver for methodological developments. For him, access to equipment, competence building, and basic research always went hand in hand.

His departure marks the end of an era, but the projects and investments he initiated will continue to have an impact. The new USTEM location next to the Atom-Institut, with its state-of-the-art laboratories and unique equipment, including aberration-corrected and ultrafast TEMs, will shape the future of the facility.

Assoc. Prof. Philipp Haslinger will take over his position. He has big shoes to fill, but can build on the solid foundation laid by Dr. Bernardi. The new laboratories at USTEM are still under construction and the schedule is very tight, but as Dr. Bernardi would say: Happy working!