Professor Heuer is an experimental particle physicist and has been CERN Director-General from January 2009 to December 2015. His mandate is characterised by the start of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) 2009 as well as its energy increase 2015, the discovery of the H-Boson and the geographical enlargement of CERN Membership. He also actively engaged CERN in promoting the importance of science and STEM education for the sustainable development of the society.
From 2004 to 2008, Professor Heuer was research director for particle and astroparticle physics at the DESY laboratory, Germany where he oriented the particle physics groups towards LHC by joining both large experiments, ATLAS and CMS. He has initiated restructuring and focusing of German high energy physics at the energy frontier with particular emphasis on LHC.
From April 2016 until April 2018, he was the President of the German Physical Society (DPG). For five years he was member of the European Commission’s Group of Chief Scientific Advisors which provides independent scientific advice to the College of European Commissioners.
Since 2017 he is President of the Council of SESAME (Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East).
Professor Heuer has published over 500 scientific papers and holds many Honorary Degrees from universities in Europe, Asia, Australia and Canada. He is Member of several Academies of Sciences in Europe, in particular of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and Honorary Member of the European Physical Society. He received the Grand Cross 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, was appointed Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by the French Republic, and received the Order for merits to Lithuania.