New President of the University of Jena elected

On 9 April 2024, the University Assembly of Friedrich Schiller University Jena elected Prof. Dr Andreas Marx as the new President of the University of Jena. He is expected to take up his new position this summer semester, following his appointment by the Thuringian Ministry for Economic Affairs, Science and Digital Society. The position became vacant after University President Prof. Dr Walter Rosenthal relocated to Berlin as President of the German Rectors' Conference in October 2023.

The chemist Andreas Marx currently holds a chair and heads a research team of around 25 people at the University of Konstanz. With him as President, the University of Jena's global standing and its research excellence are to be further strengthened.

"In Professor Marx, an outstanding researcher from a University of Excellence has applied for the office of President. He has long been familiar with the University and Jena as a research centre and has presented a compelling vision for the University. Innovation, dialogue with society, internationalization and sustainability are at the heart of this vision," says Prof. Dr Wolfgang Marquardt, Chair of the University Council.

His reputation as an academic, his great appreciation of teaching and his experience as Vice Rector and Senator convinced the members of the University Assembly that he is the right person to lead the University of Jena.

Prof. Dr Wolfgang Marquardt

Andreas Marx, born in Lübeck in 1968, studied chemistry in Freiburg im Breisgau, Sussex (UK) and Bochum. He received his doctorate from the University of Basel in 1997. This was followed by a two-year research stay at Nagoya University in Japan. In 2003, he completed his postdoctoral lecturing qualification ('Habilitation') in organic chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Bonn. Andreas Marx has been Professor of Organic and Cellular Chemistry at the University of Konstanz since 2004. From 2007 to 2021, he was spokesperson for the Graduate School "Chemical Biology" as part of the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments. From 2010 to 2013, he was Vice Rector for Research and Young Scientists at the University of Konstanz.

He has received several international awards for his research, including the František Šorm Memorial Medal of the Czech Academy of Sciences 2017 and membership of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. In 2013 and 2021, he received an "ERC Advanced Grant" from the European Research Council (ERC), a highly endowed funding line aimed at established cutting-edge researchers. His "achievements in research and its implementation in industrial practice" were honoured with the Karl Heinz Beckurts Prize in 2014.

In accordance with the Thuringian Higher Education Act, the election was carried out by the University Assembly, which is made up of the members of the Senate and the University Council. In preparation for the election, a findings committee headed by the Chair of the University Council drew up an election proposal. Professor Marx introduced himself to the university public immediately before the secret ballot. Until he takes office, Prof. Dr Georg Pohnert will continue to represent the University as Interim President.