Dr Bastian Breustedt

Dr Bastian Breustedt studied physics at the University of Cologne, where he earned his doctorate in nuclear medicine. There, he was introduced to radiation protection, a field that has fascinated him ever since and shaped his professional career. His research and publications focus on dosimetry related to radionuclide incorporation. From 2017 to 2022, he served as Chair of the Working Group on Internal Dosimetry of the European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS). He teaches radiation protection and dosimetry at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and qualified as a university lecturer in radiation protection in 2012.

Since 2024, he has headed the Department of Medical and Occupational Radiation Protection at the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS). Ionising radiation is widely used in medical diagnosis, therapy, and various professional fields. Radiation protection is therefore crucial for ensuring the safe and responsible use of radiation. Within the department, an interdisciplinary team of scientific and technical experts across six specialist areas addresses these challenges.

Alongside regulatory tasks, the team researches radiation applications to improve protection for patients and occupationally exposed individuals.

Dr. Florian Gering

Dr. Florian Gering leads the Emergency Preparedness & Response Division of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS). He was previously a scientific officer and head of section at BfS. He dealt with the radiological assessment of emergencies and the development and operation of the RODOS decision support system.

Dr. Gering completed his studies at the University of Innsbruck with a doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) in physics. He began his professional career in Munich at the Institute of Radiation Protection of Helmholtz Zentrum Munich.

The division performs various tasks in order to prepare the protection of the general population against radioactive radiation associated with radiological and nuclear emergencies. This includes

• the development and operation the Integrated Measuring and Information System IMIS and the gamma dose monitoring network with more than 1700 monitoring stations,
• the measurement of traces of atmospheric radioactivity in the air,
• the development of 24/7-capabilities for radiological situation assessment,
• the development and the operation of a task force for the defence against nuclear hazards,
• medical emergency radiation management

Dr. Udo Gerstmann Source: www.phinephoto-berlin.de

Dr. Udo Gerstmann studied chemistry at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), where he specialised in radiochemistry for his thesis and doctoral dissertation. He then worked as a researcher at Helmholtz Zentrum München in the area of radioecology as well as a specialist in nuclear waste management. He is particularly interested in the analysis of radioactive materials.

In 2010, he joined the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), where he led the working group on incorporation monitoring for nine years and represented this field at both the national and international level. In addition to these responsibilities, he has taught at the Technical University of Munich.

Since 2019, Dr. Gerstmann has been head of the Environmental Radioactivity Division in Berlin. The spectrum of tasks of the division concerns both artificial and natural radionuclides in the environment. It ranges from aspects on their origin and their spread in the environment to the determination of the radiation exposure of humans. In the division, several laboratories are responsible for the detection of radionuclides in various environmental samples, the detection of radiation fields, and the calibration of radon measuring instruments.

Although the immediate tasks of the division concern radioactivity in the environment, Dr. Gerstmann emphasises that this is primarily for the protection of humans.

PD Dr. Michaela Kreuzer

Dr. Michaela Kreuzer leads the Effects and Risks of Ionising and Non-Ionising Radiation (WR) division of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection(BfS) since 2016.

Dr. Michaela Kreuzer studied statistics at Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) of Munich. She then completed her doctorate and habilitation at the Medical Faculty of the LMU Munich in the subject of epidemiology.

After 10 years of scientific work as an epidemiologist at various scientific institutions, she came to the BfS in 1998 and joined the working group on radiation epidemiology in the Department of Radiation Protection and Health. In 2007, she took over as head of the working group and of the German uranium miners cohort study, which was conducted by the BfS.

The Effects and Risks of Ionising and Non-Ionising Division bundles the tasks of biological dosimetry as well as the determination, assessment, and communication of the biological effects and health risks of ionising radiation (e.g. X-rays). The tasks involving non-ionising radiation (e.g. UV, light, mobile communications, and power grids) include the identification, assessment, and communication of the exposure, effect, and risk of this radiation as well as the derivation of recommendations for legal regulations.

It is particularly important to Ms. Kreuzer to provide understandable and technically sound information about radiation risks and associated uncertainties as well as to further develop concepts in order to protect humans from radiation.

Achim Neuhäuser

Mr Achim Neuhäuser has headed the President’s Department of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection since 1 April 2021. As head of Public Relations, he was entrusted with issues of science communication and external presentation of the BfS.

Mr Neuhäuser is a political scientist. After his studies at the Free University of Berlin, he worked in political communication and management consulting with a focus on future technologies and the energy industry at both the national and European level. Most recently, as a member of the management and authorised signatory of the Berliner Energieagentur, Mr Neuhäuser was in charge of renewable energy and energy efficiency as well as international business. He was responsible for numerous projects from the National Climate Initiative of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety as well as from the EU funding programme Horizon 2020.

The responsibilities of the President's Department include councelling the president and vice president planning, strategic aspects of task planning as well as press and public relations work, national and international cooperation as well as research coordination and social aspects of radiation protection.

Meike Winkelhaus studied law at the University of Münster with a focus on labour and administrative law. In addition, she specialized in French law and completed an internship at the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Caen in France. She completed her first state examination in 2006 at the Judicial Examination Office in Hamm.

In the administrative part of her legal clerkship, she gained valuable practical experience in the personnel department of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in Bonn. She completed the second state examination in 2009 at the State Judicial Examination Office of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Her legal traineeship at the Federal Environment Ministry and her work at the interface between politics and science motivated her to join the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) as a personnel officer in November 2009. In 2017, she assumed leadership of the human resources department.

She is currently the acting head of the Department of Digitisation and Organisation at the BfS and focuses on transformation and innovation in personnel, organisation, IT, and digitalisation. The department aims to create an efficient and people-oriented working environment for all BfS employees.

Martina Hagemann

Ms Martina Hagemann has headed the Central Office Division of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection since 2021 and works as budget officer in parallel.

She has a degree in business administration. Following her studies at the University of Göttingen, she completed a trainee programme in the automotive supply industry. She then went on to gain experience in various commercial sectors before taking over the commercial management of a state office of Lower Saxony in 1997. In 2009, Ms Hagemann moved to the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, where she initially headed the Finance Unit and from 2016 to 2021 the Central Office Division. Because of the ever-growing variety of topics and the associated challenges in administration, the Central Office was reorganised in 2021 and the numerous tasks were divided between two divisions.

As an internal service provider of the BfS, the Central Office Division supports the technical divisions in ensuring the protection of humans and the environment against radiation. In addition to the classic administrative tasks such as budget, procurement, judicial office, construction, real estate, and internal service, the division is also responsible for coordinating administrative research.

As head of the division, Ms Hagemann is particularly concerned with supporting the further development of BfS into a modern agile authority (e.g. with flexible space concepts) and promoting the retention of expertise in radiation protection.