Science:Bundeswehr University gets new boss
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Eva-Maria Kern has been Vice President for Research, Young Scientists and Sustainable Development since 2019.
(Photo: Christian Siebold/dpa)
Eva-Maria Kern will replace Merith Niehuss as President of the university on January 1st.
By Daniela Bode, Neubiberg
A change is imminent at the head of the Bundeswehr University in Neubiberg. Current President Merith Niehuss is retiring on December 31 after 17 years. Eva-Maria Kern succeeds the 68-year-old as head of the university at the turn of the year. The native of Salzburg is not an unknown face there. The 51-year-old was appointed to the professorship for knowledge management and business process design at the Faculty of Economics and Organizational Sciences in 2007. Since the beginning of 2019, she has also been Vice President for Research and Young Scientists and Sustainable Development. Since August 2020, she has also been the scientific director and spokesperson for the Bundeswehr Center for Digitization and Technology Research. “The Universität der Bundeswehr München is a modern and innovative university,” says Kern. “Our President Merith Niehuss has set the course for this over the past few years.” It is a pleasure and an honor for her to assume the office of President. “I am more than aware of the responsibility in these challenging times.” She has set herself the goal of “further developing the university in a quality-oriented manner in accordance with current and future requirements and, above all, making it even more visible in the scientific world and in society”.
On December 19, Kern received the certificate of appointment from Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) in Berlin. Niehuss receives the “retirement certificate” there. She says: “I am very grateful for the great trust that our university members have placed in me as President over the past 17 years. Together we were able to dynamically develop the Universität der Bundeswehr München and position it well for the future.” She is particularly proud of the new, innovative research centers and the attractive courses. She is firmly convinced that the university management with her colleague Kern “will pass into very experienced hands who know and appreciate the special features of our university”.