The Administrative Director of the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Dr. Stefan Schwartze, was elected "Vice President Finance, Human Resources and Infrastructure" of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) on January 23, 2024. Shortly before on the same day, the KIT Supervisory Board had elected the Danish mathematician Professor Jan S. Hesthaven as President. Hesthaven succeeds Holger Hanselka, who moved as new President to the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft at short notice in mid-2023. Stefan Schwartze will succeed Michael Ganß, who is retiring this summer.

According to the KIT law, both election decisions still have to be confirmed by a vote of the KIT Senate in February. The Chairman of the KIT Supervisory Board, Prof. Michael Kaschke, commented on the election of the Vice President: “Dr. Schwartze is a proven expert in the administration of universities and large research institutions and has extensive legal and financial know-how. I am convinced that Stefan Schwartze will tackle the challenges and opportunities of this large and demanding portfolio with determination and collegiality.”

Susanne Buiter, Scientific Director of the GFZ, congratulated her colleague on his election and thanked him for his work: “Our cooperation has always been – and still is – extremely collegial and constructive. I am very pleased that Stefan Schwartze will continue to accompany and support us and our strategy process, which is so important for us, as Administrative Director until the GFZ’s Board of Trustees meeting in June.” As the current Vice President of Finance, Human Resources and Infrastructure at KIT, Michael Ganß, will not be retiring until the summer, the GFZ has enough time to prepare the process for Stefan Schwartze’s succession.

Dr. Stefan Schwartze, born in 1966, has been Administrative Director of the German Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam (GFZ) since 2011. From 2019 to 2022, he was also Administrative Vice President of the Helmholtz Association. Prior to this, he was Head of Administration of the University of Münster from 2008 to 2011. This was preceded by positions at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Research Foundation. Stefan Schwartze studied law at the Universities of Mannheim, Heidelberg and Münster and received his doctorate from the University of Bochum.