[07/2000 - present]

Senior Research Scientist / Research Scientist

Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Garching, Germany

[11/2007 - present]

Senior research scientist / project manager for "PlasmaLab", a project to develop novel plasma chambers as devices for a future experiment onboard the International Space Station (ISS).

[08/2000 - present]

I built up and I am currently managing and operating a laboratory with high magnetic fields (including budget management).

[09/2011 - present]

Chair of the advisory team for the high magnetic field complex plasma facility of the University of Auburn, Alabama, USA.

Supervise graduate and PhD students during their thesis studies.

Managed and performed microgravity experiments on parabolic flight campaigns operated by DLR and ESA.

Participate and lecture on dusty plasmas on international conferences as well as give lecture course presentations in summer schools for plasma physics.

[01/1996 - 07/2000]

PhD Thesis
Ruhr-University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany
Title: Wechselwirkung geladener Staubteilchen in Hochfrequenzplasmen
(Interaction of Charged Dust Particles in Radio Frequency Discharges)

[01/1998 - 07/2000]

Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Garching, Germany

[01/1996 - 12/1997]

Institute for Space Simulation, Deutsche Luft- u. Raumfahrt e.V.
(German Aerospace Center), Cologne, Germany

[10/1989 - 01/1996]

Study and Diploma Thesis in Physics

Ruhr-University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany
Title: Messung elastischer Parameter von kometar-analogem Material im Hinblick auf die Rosetta Mission (Measurements of the Elastic Parameters of Comet-Analog Material in View of the Rosetta Mission)

[01/1995 - 12/1995]

Institute for Space Simulation, Deutsche Luft- u. Raumfahrt e.V.
(German Aerospace Center), Cologne, Germany

[10/1989 - 11/1991]

Study of Mathematics

[11/1991]

Intermediate Diploma in Mathematics
Ruhr-University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany

[10/1988 - 12/1989]

Basic Military Service, Bremen, Germany

Experimental

• Radio frequency discharges
• Langmuir probe measurements
• design of hardware and software
• analysis based on orbit-motion-limited (OML-) or radial-motion (ABR-) theory
• Vacuum technology for low pressure plasma discharges
• High magnetic fields, cryogenic systems and laser handling
• Experiment control via electronics and software development
• Electronic development (microcontroller, digital and analog electronics)
• Mechanic development (vacuum systems, plasma chambers, optics)
• Handling of cryo systems

Communication

• Giving research presentations (see attached list of talks)
• Supervising
• Software development projects
• Data analysis principles
• Experiment procedures
• Supervising graduate and PhD students
• Managing group efforts (unified software package under version control)
• Referee papers for publication in different Journals (i.e. Physical Review Letters)
• Organization team member for the 6^th-International Conference of the Physics of Dusty Plasmas (ICPDP-6^th)

Programming

• C, C++
• IDL
• Pascal
• Assembler (6502, 80386, ARM, Atmel-µC, ARM-µC)

Proposals
(Contributions/ Co-Investigator)

• 2007 Proposal to DLR: Development of Plasma Chambers for the Investigation of Complex Plasmas under Microgravity aboard the ISS-PlasmaLab
• 2001 Proposal to ESA: Basic Interaction of Small Bodies in a Plasma
• 2001 Proposal to ESA: Investigations of Yukawa Clusters
• 2001 Proposal to ESA: Thermodynamics, Phase Transitions and Defects in Plasma Crystals
• 1999 Proposal to ESA: The International Microgravity Plasma Facility (IMPF)
• 1998 Proposal to DLR: PKE-Nefedov
• and a few others

Patents
(Co-Inventor)

• Method and Device For the Operation of a Plasma Device, United States Patent Application, US 20080136332, 2008
• Device for specific particle manipulation and deposition, United States Patent, 6777880, 2004
• Device for specific particle manipulation and deposition, United States Patent, US 20030185983, 2003
• Procedure and device specific Particle Manipulation and Deposition, United States Patent, 6,616,987, 2003
• Particle Manipulation, United States Patent, US 6,517,912 B1, 2003
• Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur geziehlten Teilchenmanipulierung und -Deposition, European Patent, EP 1,068,633 B1, 2002

2011

• Kretschmer M., Konopka U., Zhdanov S.K., Thomas H.M., Morfill G.E., Fortov V.E., Molotkov V.I., Lipaev A.M., and Petrov O., Particles Inside the Void of a Complex Plasma, IEEE TRANSACTIONS OF PLASMA SCIENCE 39 (11),2758
• Schwabe M., Konopka U., Bandyopadhyay P., and Morfill G.E., Pattern Formation in a Complex Plasmas in High Magnetic Fields, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 106, 215004
• Bandyopadhyay P., Konopka U., Jiang K., and Morfill G.E., Magnetic Field Induced Shear Flow in Strongly Coupled Complex Plasma, AIP Conf. Proc. 1379, 389

2010

• Du Cheng-Ran, Thomas H.M., Ivlev A., Konopka U., and Morfill G.E. Agglomeration of microparticles in complex plasmas, PHYSICS OF PLASMAS 17, 113710
• Bandyopadhyay P., Konopka U., Khrapak S., Morfill G.E., and Sen A., Effect of polarization force on the propargation of dust acoustic solitary waves, NEW JOURNAL OF PHYSICS 12, 073002
• Thomas M.H., Mitic S., Usachev A., Annaratone B.M., Fink M.A., Fortov V.E., Hoefner H., Ivlev A.V., Klumov B.A., Konopka U., Kretschmer M., Morfill G.E., Petrov O.F., Suetterlin R., Zhdanov S., and Zobnin A.V., Recent Complex Plasma Experiments in a DC Discharge, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PLASMA SCIENCE 38 (4), 857-860

2009

• Jiang K., Li Y., Shimizu T., Konopka U., and Morfill G.E., Controlled particle transport in a plasma chamber with striped electrode, PHYSICS OF PLASMAS 16, 123702
• Jiang K., Nosenko V., Li Y., Schwabe M., Konopka U., Ivlev A.V., Forov V.E., Molotkov V.I., Lipaev A.M., Petrov O.F. Turin M.V., Thomas H.M., and Morfill G.E., Mach cones in three-dimensional complex plasma, EUROPEAN PHYSICS LETTERS 85, 45002
• Li Y., Konopka U., Jiang K., Shimizu T., Herwig H., Thomas H.M., and Morfill G.E., Removing dust particles from a large area discharge, APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS 94, 081502

2008

• Mitic S., Klumov B.A., Konopka U., Thoma M.H., and Morfill G.E., Structural Properties of Complex Plasmas in a Homogeneous dc Discharge, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 101, 125002
• Kompaneets R., Ivlev A.V., Konopka U., Tsytovich V., Vladimirov S.V., and Morfill G.E., Potential around a small charge in the RF plasma-wall transition layer, IEEE 35^th Int. Conf. on Plasma Science

2007

• Annibaldi S.V., Ivlev A.V., Konopka U., Ratynskaia S., Thomas H., Morfill G.E., Lipaev A., Molotkov V., Petrov O. and Fortov V., Dust-acoustic dispersion relation in three-dimensional complex plasmas under microgravity, NEW JOURNAL OF PHYSICS 9, 327
• Kompaneets R., Konopka U., Ivlev A.V., Tsytovich V., and Morfill G.E., Potential around a charged dust particle in a collisional sheath, PHYSICS OF PLASMAS 14, 052108
• Knapek C.A., Samsonov D., Zhdanov S., Konopka U., and Morfill G.E., Recrystallization of a 2D Plasma Crystal, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 98(1), 015004

2006

• Morfill G.E., Konopka U., Kretschmer M., Rubin-Zuzic, M., Thomas H.M., Zhdanov S.K., and Tsytovich V., The 'classical tunneling effect' - observations and theory, NEW JOURNAL OF PHYSICS 8, 7

2005

• Konopka U., Mokler F., Ivlev A.V., Kretschmer M., Morfill G.E., Thomas H.M., Rothermel H., Fortov V.E., Lipaev A.M., Molotkov V.I., Nefedov A.P., Baturin Y.M., Budarin Y., Ivanov A.I., and Roth M., Charge-induced gelation of microparticles, NEW JOURNAL OF PHYSICS 7, 227
• Fink M.A., Kretschmer M., Fortov V., Höfner H., Konopka U., Morfill G.E., Petrov O., Ratynskaia S., Usachev A., and Zobnin A., Cooperative phenomena in laminar fluids: Observation of streamlines, AIP Conf. Proc. 799, 295
• Knapek C., Samsonov D., Zhdanov S., Konopka U., and Morfill G.E., Structural Properties and Melting of 2D-Plasma Crystals, AIP Conf. Proc. 799, 231
• Konopka U., Schwabe M., Knapek C., Kretschmer M., and Morfill G.E., Complex Plasmas in Strong Magnetic Field Environments, AIP Conf. Proc. 799, 181

2004

• Klindworth M., Piel A., Melzer A., Konopka U., Rothermel H., Tarantik K., and Morfill G.E., Dust-Free Regions around Langmuir Probes in Complex Plasmas under Microgravity, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 93(19), 195002
• Uchida G., Konopka U., and Morfill G., Wave Dispersion Relation of Two-Dimensional Plasma Crystals in a Magnetic Field, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 93 (15), 155002
• Morfill G.E., Ivlev A.V., Khrapak S.A., Klumov B.A., Rubin-Zuzic M., Konopka U., and Thomas H.M., Ten years of plasma crystals - from ICPIG (Bochum) to ICPIG (Greifswald), CONTRIBUTIONS TO PLASMA PHYSICS 44 (5-6), 450-457
• Morfill G.E., Rubin-Zuzic M., Rothermel H., Ivlev A.V., Klumov B.A., Thomas H.M., Konopka U., and Steinberg V., Highly Resolved Fluid Flows: "Liquid Plasmas" at the Kinetic Level, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 92 (17), 175004

2003

• Khrapak S.A., Ivlev A.V., Morfill G.E., Thomas H.M., Zhdanov S.K., Konopka U., Thoma M.H., and Quinn R.A., Comment on "Measurement of the ion drag force on falling dust particles and its relation to the void formation in complex (dusty) plasmas" [Phys. Plasmas 10, 1278 (2003)], PHYSICS OF PLASMAS 10 (11), 4579-4581
• Ivlev A.V., Konopka U., Morfill G., and Joyce G., Melting of monolayer plasma crystals, PHYSICAL REVIEW E 68 (2), 026405
• Tsytovich V.N., Morfill G., Konopka U., and Thomas H., Collision-dominated dust sheaths and voids - observations in micro-gravity experiments and numerical investigation of the force balance relations, NEW JOURNAL OF PHYSICS 5, 66

2002

• Ivlev A.V. , Morfill G.E. and Konopka U., Coagulation of Charged Microparticles in Neutral Gas and Charge-Induced Gel Transitions, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 89 (19), 195502
• Klindworth M., Melzer A., Piel A., Konopka U., and Morfill G.E., Langmuir Probe Measurements in a Complex Plasma under Microgravity Conditions AIP Conf. Proc. 649, 345

2001

• Annaratone B.M., Khrapak A.G., Ivlev A.V., Söllner G., Bryant P., Sütterlin R., Konopka U., Yoshino K., Zuzic M., Thomas H.M., and Morfill G.E., Levitation of cylindrical particles in the sheath of an rf plasma, PHYSICAL REVIEW E 63 (3), 036406
• Thomas H.M., Goldbeck D.D., Hagl T., Ivlev A.V., Konopka U., Morfill G.E., Rothermel H., Sutterlin R., and Zuzic M., Complex plasmas under microgravity conditions: Parabolic flights , PHYSICA SCRIPTA T89, 16-19

2000

• Zuzic M., Ivlev A.V., Goree J., Morfill G.E., Thomas H.M., Rothermel H., Konopka U., Sütterlin R., and Goldbeck D.D., Three-Dimensional Strongly Coupled Plasma Crystal under Gravity Conditions, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 85 (19), 4064-4067
• Ivlev A.V., Konopka U. and Morfill G., Influence of charge variation on particle oscillations in the plasma sheath, PHYSICAL REVIEW E 62 (2), 2739-2744
• Kochan H., Feibig W., Konopka U., Kretschmer M., Möhlmann D., Seidensticker K.J., Arnold W., Gebhardt W., and Licht R., CASSE - The ROSETTA Lander Comet Acoustic Surface Sounding Experiment - status of some aspects, the technical realisation and laboratory simulations, PLANETARY AND SPACE SCIENCE 48 (5), 385-399 (2000)
• Konopka U., Samsonov D., Ivlev A.V., Goree J., Steinberg V., and Morfill G.E., Rigid and differential plasma crystal rotation induced by magnetic fields, PHYSICAL REVIEW E 61 (2), 1890-1898
• Konopka U., Morfill G.E., and Ratke L., Measurement of the Interaction Potential of Microspheres in the Sheath of a rf Discharge, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 84 (5), 891-894
• Konopka U., Wechselwirkung geladener Staubteilchen in Hochfrequenzplasmen (Interaction of charged dust particles in radio frequency discharges), PhD-thesis at the Ruhr-University of Bochum in cooperation with the German space agency DLR and the Max-Planck-Institute for extraterrestrial physics, Germany

1999

• Morfill G.E., Thomas H.M., Konopka U., Rothermel H., Zuzic M., Ivlev A., and Goree J., Condensed Plasmas under Microgravity, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 83 (8), 1598-1601
• Morfill G.E., Thomas H.M., Konopka U., and Zuzic M., The plasma condensation: Liquid and crystalline plasmas, PHYSICS OF PLASMAS 6 (5), 1769-1780

1998

• Konopka U. , Morfill G.E., Thomas H.M., and Ratke L., Charge calculations of dust particles in a plasma from their trajectories during central collisions, AIP Conf. Proc. 446, 53
• Morfill G.E., Thomas H.M., Konopka U., Rothermel H., and Zuzic M., Plasma crystals and liquid plasmas, AIP Conf. Proc. 446, 184

1997

• Konopka U., Ratke L., and Thomas H.M., Central Collisions of Charged Dust Particles in a Plasma, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 79 (7), 1269-1272

1996

1995

• Konopka U., Messung elastischer Parameter von kometar-analogem Material im Hinblick auf die Rosetta Mission (Measurements of the elastic parameters of comet-analog material in the context of the Rosetta Mission), Diploma-thesis at the Astronomical Institute of Ruhr-University of Bochum, Germany

2011

• Contributed talk: The Future of Complex Plasma Research on the ISS -- PlasmaLab, 4^th International Symposium on Physical Sciences in Space, Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany
• Contributed talk: Isotropy of the Particle-Pair-Interaction in Complex Plasmas under the Influence of a Magnetic Field, 6^th International Conference on the Physics of Dusty Plasmas, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

2010

• Lecture talk: Frontiers of Complex Plasmas - High magnetic fields and PlasmaLab, Seminar at Institute for Material Science in Space, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne
• Lecture talk: Complex Plasmas - An Interdisciplinary Research Field, Seminar at University of Boulder, Boulder CO, USA
• Lecture talk: Complex Plasmas - From the Laboratory to Experiments on the International Space Station, Colloquium at University of Boulder, Boulder CO, USA

2009

• Contributed talk: Complex plasma experiments performed in the newly designed "PlasmaLab" discharge chamber, 12^th Workshop on the Physics of Dusty Plasmas, Boulder, USA

2008

• Contributed talk: Active poarticle manipulation methods for transport and removal in fine particle plasmas, 9^th Workshop on Fine Particle Plasmas, NIFS, Japan
• Invited talk: Systematic Transport and Manipulation of Fine Particles by Low Frequency, Traveling Plasma Sistortions, 3^rd International School of Advanced Plasma Technology, Varenna, Italy
• Poster: PlasmaLab: The Future of Complex Plasma Space Experiments on the ISS, 5^th International Conference on the Physics of Dusty Plasmas, Azores Islands
• Lecture talk: Komplexe Plasmen - Der Weg vom Labor in den Weltraum, Life-Science-Lab, Heidelberg, Germany

2007

• Invited talk: PlasmaLab: The Future of Complex Plasma Space Experiments on the ISS, 8^th Workshop on Fine Particle Plasmas, NIFS, Japan

2006

• Contributed talk: Self-organising plasmas - new fundamental physics and application, 3^rd China-German Workshop on Microgravity Science, Berlin, Germany
• Contributed talk: Influence of Magnetic Fields on Micro-Particle Structures and Their Dynamics in Plasmas, 11^th Workshop on the Physics of Dusty Plasmas, Williamsburg, USA
• Contributed talk: Micro Particle Transport in Radio Frequency Magnetized Plasma, 6^th International Conference on Reactive Plasmas and 23rd Symposium on Plasma Processing, Matsushima, Japan

2005

• Contributed talk: Complex Plasmas in Strong Magnetic Field Environments, 4^th International Conference on the Physics of Dusty Plasmas, Orleans, France
• Invited talk: Complex Plasmas - from the laboratory to space, DLR-Workshop “Deutsche Experimente auf Sounding Rocket - Flügen 1995 - 2004”, Deutsche Luft- u. Raumfahrt e.V., Cologne, Germany

2004

• Contributed talk: Fast Coagulation and Gelation, Third Capri Workshop on Dusty Plasmas, Capri, Italy
• Contributed talk: Complex plasmas in magnetic fields, 7^thAsia Pacific Conference on Plasma Science and Technology and 17^th Symposium on Plasma Science for Materials, Fukuoka, Japan
• Invited talk: Complex Plasmas, DPG Frühjahrstagung (Springmeeting), Kiel, Germany
• Plasma Crystals, European Marie Curie Training Course: Low Temperature Plasma Physics: Basics and Application, Bad Honnef, Germany

2003

• Poster: Magnetic Field Effects in Complex Plasmas, International Topical Conference on Plasma Physics: Complex Plasmas in the New Millenium, Santorini, Greece
• Topical talk: Experiments on Complex Plasma under Microgravity, Gordon Research Conference, New London, USA

2002

• Contributed talk: Complex Plasmas under Microgravity, 2^nd China-German Workshop on Microgravity Science, Dunhuang, China
• Invited evening talk: Komplexe Plasmen - Der Weg vom Labor in den Weltraum (Complex Plasmas - The way from the laboratory to space), DPG Frühjahrstagung (Springmeeting), Bochum, Germany

2001

• Contributed talk: Complex Plasmas under reduced gravitational influence, 25^th International Conference on Phenomena in Ionized Gases, Nagoya, Japan
• Contributed talk: The influence of magnetic fields on plasma crystals, Second Capri Workshop on Dusty Plasmas, Capri, Italy
• Contributed talk: Liquid & Crystalline Plasmas in microgravity, DPG-Meeting, Bonn, Germany
• Contributed talk: Physics of Liquid & Crystalline Plasmas, AEF-Meeting, Hamburg, Germany
• Microgravity, Course on low temperature plasma physics and applications, Bad Honnef, Germany

2000

• Contributed talk: Experimental determination of the charge and interaction potential of microspheres in a plasma, 8^th Workshop on Physics of dusty plasmas, Santa Fe, USA

1999

• Poster: The Interaction Potential of Microspheres in a Plasma, Second International Conference on the Physics of Dusty Plasmas, Hakone, Japan

1998

• Poster: Messuring the interaction potential of particles in a plasma from their trajectories during central collisions, 7^th Workshop on the Physics of Dusty Plasmas, Boulder, USA

1997

• Poster: Central Collisions of Charged Dust Particles in a Plasma, The 1997 International Conference on Strongly Coupled Coulomb Systems, Boston, USA