A new Managing Director for Einstein Foundation Berlin
On March 1, 2023, Dr. Thorsten Wilhelmy takes over as Managing Director at the Einstein Foundation Head Office in Berlin. He replaces Dr. Marion Müller, who has successfully led the Foundation’s operations for the past twelve years.
“In Thorsten Wilhelmy we have found someone with a wealth of experience of the science and research environment,” says Professor Martin Rennert, Chair of the Einstein Foundation’s Executive Board. “We are looking forward to working with him to pursue our mission of promoting excellent research in Berlin.” Professor Rennert also pays tribute to the outgoing Managing Director: “Marion Müller has played a key role in the success of the Einstein Foundation Berlin. She has our sincere thanks for her outstanding work and for everything she has achieved on behalf of the Foundation.”
In response, Marion Müller says, “It has been a great pleasure to establish and grow the Einstein Foundation Berlin as a major Berlin institution for research funding. I would like to thank the highly motivated Foundation staff, supporters, and honorary board members for the years we have shared, and I will continue to be a close friend of the Foundation.”
The new Managing Director, Thorsten Wilhelmy, emphasizes that as a research hub, Berlin “occupies an excellent competitive position, both nationally and internationally – not least thanks to the funding opportunities offered by the Einstein Foundation Berlin, its absolute focus on quality, and its independence. Together with other stakeholders, the Foundation’s governing bodies and team will continue to support outstanding research in Berlin and to act as a catalyst – something I am eagerly looking forward to.”
Dr. Thorsten Wilhelmy has worked in the field of research funding and research management for around 20 years, most recently as Head of Administration and Academic Coordinator of the Academy of International Affairs NRW. Prior to that, he worked at Cusanuswerk, at the German Science and Humanities Council (WR), and as Secretary of the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin.
The Einstein Foundation Berlin is an independent, not-for-profit, science-led organization established as a foundation under civil law. For over ten years, it has promoted international cutting-edge science and research across disciplines and institutions in and for Berlin. It has funded 200 researchers - including three Nobel laureates - over 70 projects, and seven Einstein Centers. For science. For Berlin.