Karl Leo Awarded Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony

Overview

Karl Leo, professor of optoelectronics at TU Dresden and a principal investigator of the Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat, has been awarded the Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the region’s research landscape. The honor was presented by Minister President Michael Kretschmer to 13 individuals closely connected to Saxony during a ceremony at Dresden’s Royal Palace on June 17, 2025.

Professor Karl Leo (64) is one of the world’s leading scientists in the field of solid-state physics. He has held the professorship for optoelectronics at TU Dresden since 1993 and is also director of the Dresden Integrated Center for Applied Physics and Photonic Materials (IAPP), an interdisciplinary network which bundles the research on organic semiconductors at the TU Dresden. His pioneering work in this field led to the development of highly efficient, cost-effective organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), which are now used in smartphone and TV displays around the world. Moreover, Leo and his team are working on the further development of other highly efficient organic semiconductor devices such as solar cells, transistors, and sensors, and currently also on biodegradable and resorbable organic electronics. Thanks to his entrepreneurial instincts, Leo has turned many of these projects into successful spin-offs, thereby making a decisive contribution to the expansion of the Silicon Saxony high-tech network. He was also co-founder of Organic Electronics Saxony, the world’s largest regional network for organic semiconductors. Since 1999, he has founded eleven start-ups, including such successful companies as Novaled and Heliatek.

Professor Leo is one of the principal investigators of the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat - Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter jointly run by the Universities of Würzburg and Dresden, where he focuses on semiconductor-based topological photonics. His research explores entirely new possibilities opened up by topological effects in photonics, such as the elegant control of light propagation, high-efficiency sensors, and other novel applications.

Leo has already been honored with numerous national and international awards for his outstanding achievements in research and transfer, including the 2002 Leibniz Prize from the German Research Foundation, the 2011 German Future Prize from the German President, the 2021 European Inventor Award from the European Patent Office, the 2023 UNIPRENEURS Founder’s Prize, and many more.

Now, with the Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony, he has received another high-ranking honor for his significant contribution to the research landscape of the Free State of Saxony: “I am extremely pleased about this award because it recognizes my many years of work in organic electronics in research, development, and education. It is very important to me to note that, on the one hand, this was the work of many dedicated people with whom I had the honor of working, and on the other hand, it would not have been possible without the tremendous support of many people at the university, the Free State of Saxony, and beyond,” states Leo.

TUD Rector Professor Ursula Staudinger, who accompanies Karl Leo to the ceremony, emphasizes Leo’s impact at TU Dresden, in Saxony, and beyond: “With his pioneering scientific spirit, entrepreneurial vision, and extraordinary innovative strength, Professor Karl Leo has not only shaped TU Dresden and Saxony as a research location, but has also set standards worldwide. The award of the Saxon Order of Merit recognizes his decades of work—and at the same time honors a person whose work impressively combines science, economy, and society.”

Background

The Saxon Order of Merit is the highest state award in Saxony. With this award, the Free State honors people who have shown outstanding commitment in the political, economic, cultural, social, societal, or voluntary fields. The order was established in 1996 and awarded for the first time on October 27, 1997. It can be awarded to German and foreign personalities who have rendered outstanding services to the Free State of Saxony and the people living here. To date, the Saxon Order of Merit has been awarded 404 times.