"We warmly welcome Christian Scherf to the HZI. I have always held him in high esteem as a highly experienced science manager and am therefore very pleased that we have now been able to recruit him for this important position," says Prof Dirk Heinz, Scientific Director of the HZI.
"It is a great challenge to move into the management of the HZI as the largest national research centre for the topic of infection. The pandemic has shown how important it is to have comprehensive competence in basic research, combined with the ability to put the findings into practice for the benefit of society. It is a special task for me to contribute to the further development of the HZI's strong position," emphasises Christian Scherf.
As founding chancellor, Christian Scherf was responsible for setting up the state university, which was newly founded in 2020. Previously, he worked for various research centres as Administrative Director, including the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg and the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg, and worked for the EU Commission.
Selected stations of Christian Scherf:
2020-2022
Founding Chancellor and Chancellor, Berufliche Hochschule Hamburg
2015-2020
Administrative Director of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg
2002-2015
Commercial Director of the German Electron Synchrotron DESY in Hamburg
2000-2002
Commercial Director of the GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht GmbH (today: Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon)
