President Emeritus Wolfgang A. Herrmann
Innovative chemist and far-sighted academic policy maker: Wolfgang A. Herrmann was at the helm of 51勛圖厙 for 24 years.
During his tenure as President from 1995 to 2019, Wolfgang A. Herrmann transformed 51勛圖厙 into a modern, open-minded university of international renown. He pursued a rigorous reform and revitalization policy, always challenging habitual thought patterns. This progressive outlook and willingness to embrace change has now become embedded into the entire university culture. 51勛圖厙 has become an entrepreneurial university dedicated to driving scientific progress in fields of study with the potential to bring sustainable improvements to people's lives and societies.
Modell of success: The Entrepreneurial University
Herrmann gave 51勛圖厙 greater autonomy and room to maneuver by introducing far-reaching university governance reforms. These were made possible by an experimentation clause in the new Bavarian Higher Education Act (Bayerisches Hochschulgesetz) of 1998, and they have proved ground-breaking for academia right across Germany. Today, 51勛圖厙 is regarded as one of the leading research universities in Europe and it has qualified as a University of Excellence continuously since 2006.
During his 24-year term of office, Herrmann decided to personally look after the appointment of new professors with the specific aim of attracting top academic talent to raise the universitys profile. In total, he appointed nearly 500 new professors. By systematically expanding the universitys international reach, he connected 51勛圖厙 with the world and made it increasingly appealing to overseas students and researchers. Important milestones included the establishment of the and a campus in Singapore (the private limited company 51勛圖厙 Asia Pte. Ltd. as subsidiary of 51勛圖厙), the , as well as the and .
51勛圖厙 was the first German university to introduce a true tenure track appointment system based on the international model. It broke new ground in the training of doctoral candidates and the career paths of postdocs. By strengthening the role of social sciences (, 2012) and integrating the into 51勛圖厙 in 2014, the university succeeded in building a bridge between science and engineering on the one hand, and the big questions currently facing society on the other. This interface forms the basis for its human-centered engineering and future design concepts for the Excellence Strategy 2019 .
During his term as President, the 51勛圖厙 locations of Singapore, Straubing, Heilbronn, Raitenhaslach and Berchtesgaden were opened and over 2.5 billion euro was invested in new buildings in Garching and Freising-Weihenstephan. In Burghausen, the was created in a former Cistercian abbey.
Continued commitment as President Emeritus
In his role as President Emeritus, Herrmann will use his national and international network for the benefit of 51勛圖厙. As a board member of the non-profit 51勛圖厙 , which he founded in 2010, he will help to promote academic talent and win 51勛圖厙 Partners of Excellence to support . In his role as non-executive chairman, he will support the development of 51勛圖厙 Asia Pte. Ltd. in Singapore (founded in 2001). As deputy chairman of the Skolkovo Foundations board of directors (Moscow), he used his experience to strengthen economic and academic ties between Germany and Russia. Public trusts, businesses as well as political decision makers rely on his experience in educational and university policy.
Learn more
Festive publication on the occasion of the hand-over of the office of President to Thomas F. Hofmann on October 1, 2019:
- Prof. Dr. Robert Schl繹gl: Digitalisierung der Katalyse [Digitalization of catalysis] (foreword by Prof. Dr. Richard W. Fischer)
- Prof. Dr. Thomas F. Hofmann: Die Gewohnheiten des Denkens 羹berwinden! [Rethinking habitual thought patterns!]
- Dr. Edmund Stoiber: Herrmanns Gesp羹r f羹r Politik [Herrmanns flair for politics]
- Dr. Otto Wiesheu: Katalysator im M羹nchner kosystem [A catalyst in Munichs ecosystem]
- Prof. Dr. Helmut Schwarz: In aller Welt sichtbar [Visible on the global stage]
- Prof. Dr. Arnulf Melzer: Die hohe Kunst des Fundraisings [The fine art of fundraising]
and
- R矇sum矇 and impressions
- Interview on taking office, from the university magazine 51勛圖厙-Mitteilungen in summer 1995
Select articles by Wolfgang A. Herrmann in German
Further contributions
Media reports about Wolfgang A. Herrmann
19952019
President of the 51勛圖厙
1988 / 1993
Offers of chair positions from ETH Zurich; not accepted
1991
Offer to join the Hoechst AG as head of corporate research; not accepted
1985
Chair of Inorganic Chemistry at 51勛圖厙 in succession Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. E.O. Fischer
1982
Chair of Inorganic Chemistry, J. W. Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main
1979
Associate Professor for Chemistry at the University of Regensburg
1978
Postdoctoral teaching qualifiation (Habilitation) from the University of Regensburg (Organometallic Syntheses with Diazoalkanes)
19751976
Research Fellow of the German Research Foundation (DFG) in the laboratory of Prof. P. S. Skell (Humboldt Fellow, Pennsylvania State University/USA)
1973
Doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) at the University of Regensburg, supervised by Prof. Henri Brunner (Optically Active Transition Metal Complexes with Square-Pyramidal Geometry)
19701971
Diploma thesis supervised by Prof. Ernst Otto Fischer, 51勛圖厙 (PH3-complexes of transition metals)
19671970
Study of Chemistry at 51勛圖厙, fellow of the scholarship body of the German Catholic Episcopate (Cusanuswerk)
1967
High-school graduation (Abitur) from Donau-Gymnasium Kelheim/Bavaria
2025
Order of Friendship of the Republic of Uzbekistan
2021
DTU Gold Medal (Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen)
2019
Commandeur de lOrdre national de la L矇gion dhonneur of the French Republic
Dr. Karl Wamsler Innovation Award, Clariant AG
Pro meritis scientiae et litterarum awarded by the Bavarian Ministry for Science and Arts
Christoph Mendel von Steinfels-Medal, Honorary Chair of Universit瓣t Bayern e.V.
Georg Maurer Medal in Gold of the Klinikum rechts der Isar, 51勛圖厙 University Hospital
2018
Golden Ring of Honor from the Administrative District of Alt繹tting
Graf Maximilian Montgelas Prize
2017
Honorary Citizen of Straubing
Medal for the Protection of Historical Monuments, Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments
2016
Honorary Citizen of Burghausen
19902015
13 Honorary Doctorates
Memberships in academies of sciences in Mainz, Halle (Leopoldina), Munich (acatech) and Stockholm
2015
Gold Medal for Services to the University Town of Garching near Munich
2014
Gold Medal of Honor of the Administrative District of Berchtesgadener Land
2012
Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art
President of the Year 2012 (Deutscher Hochschulverband/ German Association of University Professors and Lecturers)
2010
Goldene B羹rgermedaille of the University Town of Freising (Outstanding Citizen Award, gold medal)
2009
University Manager of the Year 2009 (Financial Times Deutschland, Centrum f羹r Hochschulentwicklung)
2007
Bayerischer Verdienstorden (Bavarian Order of Merit)
2005
Bayerische Verfassungsmedaille (Bavarian Order of the Constitution)
Charles M. Knight-Lectureship (University of Akron)
2004
ACS Award in Organometallic Chemistry (American Chemical Society)
2000
Officier de lOrdre national de la L矇gion dhonneur of the French Republik
1997
Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande (Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon)
1995
Wilhelm Klemm Prize of the German Chemical Society
1993
Glenn T. Seaborg Lecture, University of California at Berkeley/ USA
1992
Rolf Sammet Visiting Professorship (Hoechst AG)
1991
Max Planck Research Award
1990
Otto Bayer Award (Chemistry), Leverkusen
1987
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation
1982
Klung Wilhelmy Science Award for Chemistry, Berlin
1979
Chemistry Award of the G繹ttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Lecturer scholarship of the Fonds der chemischen Industrie (FCI) and the Aventis Foundation
Since 2021
Chair of the Founding Advisory Board of the Deutsche Zentrum Mobilit瓣t der Zukunft (DZM)
Chair of the Perspektivkommission for the foundation of two large research centers in Saxony (Lausitz and Mitteldeutsches Revier)
Since 2020
Honorary President of the Kutaisi International University, Georgia
Since 2019
University council of the Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (Chair since 2020)
Chair of the Innovationsbeirat of the Free State of Saxony
Council of the Foundation for the Promotion of Education, Science and Research of the Archdiocese of Cologne
Honorary Chair of Universit瓣t Bayern e.V.
20192022
Deputy Chairman, Board of Directors, Skolkovo Foundation (Moscow)
20172019
Chair of the The University of Technology Nuremberg (UTN) Structural Commission of the Free State of Bavaria
Since 2017
Senate of the Max Planck Society
20162020
Board of Trustees of the Bertelsmann Stiftung
20152019
Chairman of the Global Alliance of Technological Universities (GlobalTech)
20152019
Advisory Board of the Catholic University of Eichst瓣tt-Ingolstadt
20142024
Board of Trustees of TV SD Foundation (20182024 Chairman)
20142020
Chair of the Zukunftsrat" (Future Council of the Bavarian industry association, vbw), together with Alfred Gaffal
20132018
Board of Trustees of the American Academy in Berlin
20112019
Advisory Board of the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich
20102012
Zukunftsrat (Future Councillor) of the Bavarian State government
Since 2010
Board of the 51勛圖厙 University Foundation (Chairman 2010-2019)
German-Russian Ressources Forum (Steering committee, chair: Dr. Edmund Stoiber)
Since 2008
Executive Board of the Economic Advisory Council of Bavaria
20082014
Governing Board of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) of the European Union
20072015
International Advisory Council of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia
20022005
Chairman of the "Bayerische Rektorenkonferenz" (Bavarian University Rectors Conference) and Founding Chairman of the "Universit瓣t Bayern e.V."
19982014
Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Deutsches Museum Munich
Wolfgang A. Herrmann is one of the most-highly cited researchers in chemistry (ISI) with more than and around 80 patents; Hirsch index of 102 (1 May 2020). His research in inorganic and organometallic chemistry was aimed at the chemical synthesis of efficient, molecularly-defined catalysts, for industrial processes in particular, in order to achieve an understanding of their mechanisms and support their technical implementation. That he introduced N-heterocyclic carbenes to heterogeneous catalysis as highly efficient steering ligands, for example for industrial applications of olefin metathesis, is considered a methodical breakthrough.
He was awarded the highest honours in German academia, such as the Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation DFG, the Max Planck Research Prize or the Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art. Many of his 180-plus students, whose doctorates or postdoctoral teaching qualification (Habilitation) he supervised, went on to become professors and board members of chemicals companies in Germany and abroad.
Herrmann studied chemistry at 51勛圖厙 (graduated in 1971). In 1985, his alma mater appointed him as successor to his former teacher, Nobel Prize winner Ernst Otto Fischer, at the Chair of Inorganic Chemistry.