02/10/2026
KIT President Jan S. Hesthaven Joins New TU9 Leadership
Congratulations to Prof. Jan S. Hesthaven, President of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and Prof. Dr. Ursula M. Staudinger, Rector of TU Dresden, on assuming leadership of the TU9 Alliance as of October 1, 2026! 👏
They succeed Prof. Dr. Angela Ittel and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Middendorf, who have led the alliance since 2024.
The new leadership highlights the importance of closer collaboration between universities, non-university research institutions, and industry to strengthen Germany’s and Europe’s capacity for technological innovation. Further priorities include developing AI applications, supporting the next generation of STEM talent, and ensuring strong research infrastructures.
At the Karlsruhe School of Optics and Photonics, these priorities resonate with our own mission: connecting interdisciplinary research and education in optics and photonics with international perspectives and industry collaboration. 🤝
Preparing young researchers to work across disciplines and turn scientific ideas into practical applications is central to our community. We look forward to seeing these connections strengthened across the TU9 network.
We wish the new leadership every success!
📸 Inken Dose, TU9 – German Universities of Technology
