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  • New Board of Die Junge Akademie takes office

New Board of Die Junge Akademie takes office

Press Release

Five adults are standing side by side in front of an unplastered brick wall, smiling at the camera.
From left to right: Maximilian Schäfer, Lea Luka Sikau, Hanna Pfeifer, Mira Sievers, Hani Harb. Photo: Die Junge Akademie/Bernd Brundert
29.06.26

Handover of office as part of the annual festival

The new Board of Die Junge Akademie began its one-year term of office on 28 June 2026. The new Chair of the Board is Hanna Pfeifer, a conflict researcher at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg. She succeeds Philipp Rothemund, who is stepping down from the Board following his one-year term as Chair. The handover took place during the annual celebration of Die Junge Akademie, at which ten new members were admitted, and ten members were welcomed into the ranks of alumni.

“Die Junge Akademie is ideally suited to address the social responsibility of science: interdisciplinary, open to experimentation and closely attuned to contemporary issues, it can spark debates that extend far beyond the academic sphere. Especially at a time of major societal challenges, it is crucial not only to develop scientific perspectives but also to bring them effectively into public discourse,” said Hanna Pfeifer, the new Chair of the Board.

  • The Board for the 2026/2027 term comprises the following members, listed in alphabetical order:

  • • Hani Harb (Infectious Immunology/Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital Dresden, Institute for Medical Microbiology and Virology)

  • • Hanna Pfeifer (Political Science/Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg, IFSH)

  • • Maximilian Schäfer (Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Information Technology/Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg)

  • • Mira Sievers (Islamic Theology/University of Hamburg)

  • • Lea Luka Sikau (Media Art and Experimental Opera/ZKM | Centre for Art and Media)

The Board is responsible for helping to shape the strategic and thematic direction of Die Junge Akademie. The relevant topics are discussed in plenary sessions and implemented by the members in various formats and projects. In addition, the Board supports and advises the Chair.

Detailed information on the members of the Board can be found at:
diejungeakademie.de/en/board

Die Junge Akademie was founded in 2000 as the world’s first academy for outstanding young academics. Its members – who come from all academic disciplines as well as creative fields – explore the potential and limits of interdisciplinary work in new projects, aim to encourage dialogue between academia and society, and provide new impetus in discussions about scientific policy. Die Junge Akademie is supported by the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW) and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Its office is located in Berlin.

Contact
Die Junge Akademie
Anne Rohloff
Phone +49 30 241899-106
press@diejungeakademie.de
www.diejungeakademie.de/en

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