Chiara Manfletti takes over leadership of the Senate at TUM!

Chiara Manfletti takes over leadership of the Senate at TUM!

On October 10, 2025, Chiara Manfletti was elected as the new chairwoman of the Senate of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). She holds the professorship for Space Mobility and Propulsion and heads the Department of Aerospace and Geodesy at the TUM School of Engineering and Design. With extensive experience in science, business, space and politics, Prof. Manfletti brings a broad range of skills to her new role. Her previous positions include being the first female president of the Portuguese Space Agency and heading a department at the European Space Agency (ESA). These experiences will be of great importance for the further development of the institution.

During the election, Prof. Manfletti thanked the Senate members for their trust and emphasized the need to further develop the institutions with courage and foresight. The support of TUM President Prof. Thomas Hofmann is unmistakable; he congratulated Prof. Manfletti and expressed his confidence in her abilities as Senate President. Prof. Ulf Schlichtmann was also confirmed as deputy of the Senate. He is full professor of design automation at the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology and is also involved in academic self-administration.

Scientific engagement

Prof. Manfletti is not only active in academic administration, but also in research. Her work covers important topics in space technology. In 2024 she will be at the 9th Space Propulsion Conference participate and present their research on the experimental and numerical investigation of friction behavior and heat transfer in 3D printed cooling channels for rocket engines. This type of research is crucial for the further development of propulsion systems in space travel.

Another important project of hers deals with water electrolysis propulsion systems, which she completed at the 10th European Conference for Aerospace Sciences presented in July 2023. These integrations of modern technologies and approaches underline their vision for innovative solutions in aerospace engineering.

Interdisciplinary perspectives

Prof. Manfletti's research interests span various areas, including the development of intelligent systems for space security management. Her studies demonstrate the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in addressing complex problems in space travel. The work, published at numerous international conferences and in specialist journals, is intended to help improve the effectiveness and safety of space systems.

Together with her deputy, Prof. Schlichtmann, Prof. Manfletti will take on a key role in the strategic direction of TUM and address currently pressing challenges in technology and engineering. Your vision, coupled with the support of a dynamic team of experts, will make a decisive contribution to the further development of scientific excellence at TUM.