Wissenschaftsrat

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Members

The Scientific Commission of the German Science and Humanities Council (Wissenschaftsrat, WR) is made up of 32 members who are appointed by the Federal President. Of them, 24 scientists are jointly proposed by the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Max Planck Society (MPG), the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK), the Hermann von Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (HGF), the Fraunhofer Society (FhG) and the Leibniz Association. In addition, eight public figures are jointly proposed by the federal government and the governments of the states (Länder).

The scientists appointed to the WR must not represent the interests of any specific subject or any particular institution or organisation. They are expected to combine scientific excellence with science policy expertise and experience.

Scientific Commission

Scientists and scholars appointed by the Federal President on the joint proposal of the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Max Planck Society (MPG), the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK), the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (HGF), the Fraunhofer Society (FhG) and the Leibniz Association.

Chairperson: Professor Dr Julia C. Arlinghaus
Substitute: Professor Dr Ferdi Schüth

Dr Julia C. Arlinghaus
Chairperson of the Scientific Commission
Chair of Production Systems and Automation at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF in Magdeburg
Member since February 2021

Dr Liane G. Benning
Professor of Interface Geochemistry at the Free University of Berlin and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) Potsdam
Member since February 2024

Dr Folkmar Bornemann
Professor of Numerical Mathematics and Scientific Computing at the Technical University of Munich
Member since February 2024

Dr Petra Dersch
Professor of Microbiology and Head of the Institute of Infectology at the University of Münster
Member since February 2024

Dr Nina Dethloff, LL.M.
Professor of Law
Director of the Institute for German, European and International Family Law at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
Member since February 2020

Dr Jakob Edler
Executive Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI
Professor of Innovation Policy and Strategy at the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIoIR)
Member since February 2023

Dr Christian Facchi
Research Professor for Embedded and Networked Systems at Ingolstadt University of Technology
Head of Graduate Centre
Member since February 2020

Dr Christine Falk
Professor for Transplantation Immunology at the Institute for Transplantation Immunology at the Hanover Medical School
Member since February 2023

Dr Uta Gaidys
Professor of Nursing Science
Head of the Department of Nursing and Management at the University of Applied Sciences Hamburg
Member since February 2021

Dr Michael Hallek
Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Cologne
Director Clinic I for Internal Medicine
CIO Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf
Member since February 2022

Dr Frank Kalter
Professor of General Sociology at the University of Mannheim
Member since February 2024

Dr Wolfgang Lehner
Professor for Databases
Director of the Institute for System Architecture at the Technical University of Dresden
Member since February 2023

Dr Gabriele Metzler
Professor of the History of Western Europe and Transatlantic Relations at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Member since February 2024

Dr Friederike Pannewick
Professor of Arabic Studies at the Philipps University of Marburg
Member since February 2024

Dr Ursula Rao
Director of the Department of Ethnology, Politics and Governance at the MPI for Ethnological Research
Honorary Professor of Ethnology at the University of Leipzig
Member since February 2023

Dr Gabriele Sadowski
Professor of Thermodynamics at the Technical University of Dortmund
Member since Februar 2022

Dr Ferdi Schüth
Deputy Chairperson of the Scientific Commission
Professor of Inorganic Chemistry
Director of the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research, Mülheim/Ruhr
Member since Februar 2022

Dr Christine Silberhorn
Professor for Integrated Quantum Optics at the University of Paderborn
Member since February 2023

Dr Thomas S. Spengler
Professor for Production and Logistics at the Technical University of Braunschweig
Member since February 2020

Dr Birgit Spinath
Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Heidelberg
Member since February 2023

Dr Ing Martin Sternberg
Professor of Physics at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of the Bochum University of Applied Sciences
Chairman of the Graduate School for Applied Research in North Rhine-Westphalia (PK NRW)
Member since February 2019

Dr Klement Tockner
Professor of Ecosystem Sciences at the Institute of Biosciences at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Director General of the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research Frankfurt, Member of the Leibniz Association
Member since February 2024

Dr Martin Visbeck
Professor for Physical Oceanography at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Member since February 2022

Dr Wolfgang Wick
Chairperson of the WR
Professor for Clinical Neuro-oncology
Medical Director Neurology, Centre Spokesperson Head Clinic, Heidelberg University Hospital | Head of the Neuro-oncology Clinical Cooperation Unit at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
Member since February 2021

Public figures appointed by the Federal President of Germany on the basis of a joint proposal by the federal government and the governments of the states (Länder)

Dr Ulrich A. K. Betz
Vice President of Innovation at Merck
Head of the Department Innovation & Entrepreneurship Incubator – Future Insight
Member since February 2021

Dr Eva-Lotta Brakemeier
Professor of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy at the University of Greifswald
Director of the Centre for Psychological Psychotherapy
Member since February 2024

Mr Marco R. Fuchs
Chairman of the Management Board of OHB SE, Bremen
Member since February 2019

Dr Ing Frank Heinricht
Chairman of the Board of Management of SCHOTT AG
Member since February 2020

Dr Stefan Kampmann
Chief Technology Officer der Voith Group
Member since February 2023

Dr Claudia Lücking-Michel
Managing Director of AGIAMONDO e. V.
Vice-President of the Central Committee of German Catholics
Member since February 2019

Andrea Martin
Chief Technology Officer Ecosystems and Associations, IBM DACH
Member since February 2024

Dr Harald Schwager
Member and Vice Chairman of the Board of EVONIK Leading Beyond Chemistry
Member since February 2023

The Administrative Commission consists of 22 members, with the representatives of the sixteen states (Länder), each carrying one vote, and the six representatives of the Federation carrying 16 votes. The Plenary Assembly thus has 54 members, who together carry 64 votes. The decisions of the WR are taken in the plenary assembly and must be supported by a two-thirds majority..

Administrative Commission


Administrative Commission Chairpersons
Professor Dr Sabine Döring
Markus Blume

Deputy Chairperson
Professor Dr Armin Willingmann

Members delegated by the Federal Government

Member

Permanent Representative

Professor Dr Sabine Döring
State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Education and Research
Chairperson of the Administrative Commission

Dr Jochen Zachgo
Federal Ministry for Education and Research

Judith Pirscher
State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Education and Research

Dr Jochen Zachgo
Federal Ministry for Education and Research

N. N.

Rita Schutt
Sub-department head in the Federal Ministry of Finance

Juliane Seifert
Federal Ministry of the Interior
and Community

Dr Michael Münnich
Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community

Silvia Bender
State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
Gaby Kirschbaum
Ministerial Director at the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture

Udo Philipp
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action

Benedikt Zimmer
Federal Ministry of Defense

Members delegated by the Länder governments

MemberPermanent Representative

BADEN-WURTTEMBERG

Petra Olschowski
Minister for Science, Research and the Arts

BADEN-WURTTEMBERG

Dr Hans J. Reiter
Ministerial Director in the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts

BAVARIA

Markus Blume
State Minister for Science and the Arts
Chairperson of the Administrative Commission

BAVARIA

Dr Rolf-Dieter Jungk
Ministerial Director at the State Ministry for Science and the Arts

BERLIN

Dr Ina Czyborra
Senator for Science, Health, Care and Equality

BERLIN

Dr Henry Marx
State Secretary for Science, Research and Equality

BRANDENBURG

Dr Manja Schüle
Minister for Science, Research and Culture

BRANDENBURG

Tobias Dünow
State Secretary at the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture

BREMEN

Kathrin Moosdorf
Senator for Environment, Climate and Science

BREMEN

Irene Strebl
State Councillor to the Senator for Environment, Climate and Science

HAMBURG

Dr Andreas Dressel
President of the Ministry of Finance

HAMBURG

Bettina Lentz
State Councillor of the Finance Authority

Dr Eva Gümbel
State Councillor of the Authority for Science, Research and Equality

HESSE

Timon Gremmels
State Minister for Science and Research, the Arts and Culture

HESSE

Christoph Degen
State Secretary at the Ministry of Science and Research, the Arts and Culture

MECKLENBURG-WEST POMMERANIA

Bettina Martin
Minister for Science, Culture, Federal and European Affiars

MECKLENBURG-WEST POMMERANIA

Susanne Bowen
State Secretary, Ministry for Science, Culture, Federal and European Affiars

LOWER SAXONY

Falko Mohrs
Minister for Science and Culture

LOWER SAXONY

Dr Joachim Schachtner
State Secretary, Ministry of Science and Culture

NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA

Ina Brandes
Minister for Culture and Science

NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA

Gonca Türkeli-Dehnert
State Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Science

RHINELAND-PALATINATE

Clemens Hoch
Minister for Science and Health

RHINELAND-PALATINATE

Dr Denis Alt
State Secretary, Ministry for Science and Health

SAARLAND

Jakob von Weizsäcker
Minister for Finance and Science

SAARLAND

Wolfgang Förster
State Secretary in the Ministry for Finance and Science

SAXONY

Sebastian Gemkow
State Minister for Science at the Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism

 SAXONY

Dr Andreas Handschuh
State Secretary at the State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism

SAXONY-ANHALT

Professor Dr Armin Willingmann
Minister for Science, Energy, Climate Protection and Environment
Deputy Chairman of the Administrative Commission

SAXONY-ANHALT

Thomas Wünsch
State Secretary in the Ministry of Science, Energy, Climate Protection and the Environment

SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN

Karin Prien
Minister for Education, Science, Research and Culture

SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN

Guido Wendt
State Secretary in the Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Culture

THURINGIA

Wolfgang Tiefensee
Minister for Economy, Science and Digital Society

THURINGIA

Carsten Feller
State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Science and Digital Society