Günter M. Ziegler

Prof. Günter M. Ziegler serves as President of the Free University of Berlin (since 2018, re-elected in 2022) and Board Member of the Berlin University Alliance. A mathematician by training, he studied in Munich, earned his doctorate at MIT, and began his Berlin research career at the Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB) in 1992 after postdoctoral work in Augsburg and Stockholm.

His research focuses on mathematical optimization and theoretical computer science, emphasizing collaborative scientific networks. Ziegler champions Berlin's interdisciplinary research ecosystem, highlighting its diversity from biochemistry at the Max Delbrück Centre to humanities on the Dahlem campus. He views scientific progress as fundamentally driven by "personalities who live science and make it accessible."

Scientific Awards:

• Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (DFG)
• Berlin Science Prize (Governing Mayor of Berlin)

As Berlin University Alliance's inaugural spokesperson (2018-2020), he advanced the vision of Berlin as an integrated research hub through collaboration between FU Berlin, Humboldt-Universität, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité. He actively promotes international scientific exchange and advises young researchers to "ask questions, follow up, and get involved" in Berlin's project-based research landscape.