The Chairperson of the Foundation (Rector)
Duties and Role of the Foundation Chairman
The Chairman of the Foundation Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg is also the institute’s rector. He is therefore responsible not only for the leadership of the foundation but also for the development of the institute’s unique academic profile befitting an Institute for Advanced Study. As one of three foundation organs, the Chairman and Rector commands an immense creative leeway. He is supervisor for all employees of the foundation.
Together with the Scientific Advisory Board, he is responsible for
- the development of the academic program
- the selection of fellows
- the initiation of conference projects
and he designs the intense academic collaborations with universities and research institutes, whereby the Universities of Bremen and Oldenburg play the most significant roles as partners.
In all matters of foundation management, the Chairman works closely with the Foundation Board, to whom he is directly accountable.
Rector
Prof. Dr. Reto Weiler, Neurobiologist at the University of Oldenburg was voted unanimously new rector of the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK) by the Foundation Board in December 2007. He took office on 1. September 2008.
Weiler, who was born in Switzerland and who is a Max-Planck research prize winner, was appointed at the University of Oldenburg in 1986. He has been spokesperson of the DFG Research group ‚Dynamics and Stabilisation of Retinal Processing’ since 2006, and has been a member of the review board Neurosciences of the German Research Society (DFG) since 2004, as well as Director of the research centre Neurosensorik at the University of Oldenburg. He played a significant part in the establishment of the first DFG spezial research area ‚Neuro Cognition’ at the University of Oldenburg and the University of Bremen.
Fon: +49 (0)4221 9160-108
E-Mail: reto.weiler[ at ]h-w-k.de