Studies of physics at the University of Hannover (today: Leibniz University Hannover), graduation as diploma physicist, 1997 doctorate at the Westfälische Wilhelms University Münster as Dr. rer. Nat.

From 1998 to 1999 Uwe Morgner worked as a guest scientist at MIT in Cambridge/USA. Subsequently, he habilitated in 2001 at the University of Karlsruhe in the field of photonics. In 2003, Prof. Morgner habilitated in physics at the Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg.

Since 2004, he has been a Professor of Experimental Physics at the Institute of Quantum Optics at Leibniz University Hannover, where he leads the research group "Ultrafast Lasers". From 2013 to 2017, he was dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics. Since 2019 he is a speaker of the Cluster of Excellence PhoenixD, since 2020 director of the Leibniz Research School for Optics and Photonics.

Prof. Dr. Morgner was a member of the Board of Directors of the Laser Zentrum Hannover since 2006, 2013 he became a member of the Scientific Directorate of the LZH, and in 2023 he took over the chair and was reappointed to the Board of Directors of the LZH.