On 1 March 2026, Mirjam Jenny took up the position of Managing Director at Die Junge Akademie in Berlin. Jenny, who holds a doctorate in decision research, is an experienced science communicator with extensive expertise in establishing strategic interfaces between science and society.

As scientific director, she co-founded the Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour at the University of Erfurt. At the same time, she was responsible for the Science2Society division as a member within the Chair of Health Communication. Previously, she founded and headed the Science Communication project group at the Robert Koch Institute and supported communications at the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin. In addition, she advises government agencies and civil society organisations on evidence-based communication and decision-making.

In her work, Mirjam Jenny sees herself as a mediator between science, society and politics. Her aim is to empower individuals and institutions to make scientifically sound, risk-competent and sustainable decisions and to communicate these transparently.

“I look forward to working with Die Junge Akademie to ensure that younger scientists play a greater role in shaping society and politics in Germany. After all, the future needs not only experience but also the courage to embrace new perspectives,” says Mirjam Jenny.

“Mirjam Jenny stands for a science that is actively involved in social debates and strengthens the visibility of younger perspectives. This is a core mission of Die Junge Akademie. I am delighted that she is taking over as the Managing Director,” explains Philipp Rothemund, Chair of the Board of Die Junge Akademie and Junior Professor at the University of Stuttgart.

The Berlin office coordinates the research groups and projects of Die Junge Akademie and supports the fifty members in administrative, organisational and communication matters. Mirjam Jenny succeeds Alexandra Heidle-Chhatwani, who headed the office from September 2021 to September 2025 and then took up the position of Head of Department Administration at the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.