Jürgen Mlynek: The visionary for the university of tomorrow!

Jürgen Mlynek: The visionary for the university of tomorrow!

On October 16, 2025, Jürgen Mlynek was honored as Heinrich Hertz Guest Professor of the Year 2025. The ceremonial award ceremony was held by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the KIT Friends' Circle and Support Society e. V. instead. Mlynek, a recognized experimental physicist with specializations in quantum optics and atomic physics, will give a public lecture entitled "Humboldt 'RELOADED': University of Tomorrow" on October 21, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. in the Fritz Haller Lecture Hall at KIT. In addition, on this day he will speak to KIT students about the topic of talent management at German universities.

Mlynek's academic career has remarkable stages. He received his doctorate from Leibniz University Hannover and did research stays at the IBM research laboratory in the USA. His professional career included professorships at renowned institutions such as ETH Zurich, the University of Konstanz and the Humboldt University of Berlin. In 1992 he was awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation (DFG). In addition, Mlynek played central roles in the German science system, including as DFG Vice President from 1996 to 2001 and as President of the Humboldt University of Berlin from 2000 to 2005 and the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers from 2005 to 2015.

Commitment to science

Outside of his academic career, Mlynek shows a strong commitment to science-related institutions. He is the founder and chairman of the board of trustees of the Children's Research Foundation and acts as chairman of the Falling Walls Foundation and chairman of the board of the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation. The Heinrich Hertz Guest Professorship has honored outstanding personalities from science, business, culture and politics every year since 1987 and commemorates Heinrich Hertz's experimental demonstration of electromagnetic waves.

KIT, a research university in the Helmholtz Association, employs around 10,000 people and has around 22,800 students. The university aims to make significant contributions to global challenges in the areas of energy, mobility and information.

Science management in Germany

In connection with Mlynek's lecture and commitment, the field of science management can also be mentioned. This includes employees at universities and non-university research institutions who take on tasks that are not necessarily assigned to classic administration or research and teaching. In Germany, an estimated 22,000 to 25,000 people work in science and university management, with the fields of activity becoming increasingly important.

There are three main groups in this area: scientific and artistic staff, administrative, technical and other staff, and scientific and university management, often referred to as “third space”. The developments in university management, especially from committee-controlled universities to more autonomous universities, have brought with them new demands on university members. The introduction of New Public Management and the Bologna reforms also led to increased complexity in course coordination.

Academic management includes functions such as course coordinators, faculty managers and research officers. It not only ensures efficient processes within universities, but also plays an essential role in the transfer of scientific results into practice.