Joachim Weickert explores the mathematic bases of imaging methods to visualize pictures (Computer Vision). This also comprises the question how to filter information from blurred pictures or sound-fading videos or the development of theoretic processes enabling computers to recognize things on videos, e.g a certain face or a person´s movements, independently. Moreover, the 44 year old professor researches how to better pack huge data volumes from pictures or videos without loss of essential image information.

This basic research done by Joachim Weickert is of big importance for many applications. By means of his algorithms, more information can e.g. be read from computertomographic images, thus allowing a better comparison with images generated by magnetic resonance imaging. Robotics requires digital movement analyses for the development of improved control systems. And In the automotive industry, driving assstance systems are being developed that give a warning if a child runs in front of the car.

Together with his research team, Joachim Weickert has already been awarded with many scientific prizes such as the Longue-Higgins Award in the year 2008 and several Best Paper Awards. University President Volker Linneweber shared the happiness of the Saarbrücken professor about the high award: "Joachim Weickert is an excellent scientist and is also very appreciated by his students. Recently, he has received the Prize for the Best Teaching for his mathematic lecture on image processing, and, some time before, he was awarded with the same prize by the informatics students." In his function as Dean, he has currently also been engaged in matters concerning the scientific-technological faculty at the Saarland University, Linneweberadded.

Since 1986, the Leibniz Prize has been awarded annually. It  is the most renowned scientific award in Germany. Besides a high prestige, it also implies a prize money of regularly 2.5 million Euros - and the extraordinary freedom to use this money for scientific projects according to one´s own wishes within a period of up to seven years. The Leibniz Prize is awarded to improve the working conditions of top scientists, enlarge their research opportunities, release them from adminstrative work, and facilitate the employment of particularly qualified junior scientists for them.

Other professors of informatics from the Saarland University that received the Leibniz Prize are Günter Hotz, Kurt Mehlhorn, Wolfgang J. Paul, Manfred Pinkal, and Hans-Peter Seidel.