Board of Trustees

A competent board of trustees advises the Fraunhofer Institute on questions of the professional orientation and structural change of the institute. It also fosters contacts with organizations and industry.


Members are appointed by the Executive Board in agreement with the management of the institute. The annual meetings are attended by at least one member of the Management Board. In order to have as many perspectives as possible, the Board of Trustees comprises representatives from science, industry and public life.

Current Chair: Prof. Dr. Arnd Poetzsch-Heffter, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau

Current Members of the Board of Trustees

(alphabetically listed)

Members from Science

  • Prof. Dr. Nicole Bäuerle, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT
  • Prof. Dr. Peter Benner, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Magdeburg
  • Prof. Dr. Iris Pigeot, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS
  • Prof. Dr. Arnd Poetzsch-Heffter, President of the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (Current Chair)

Members from Industry

  • Dr. Christoph Großmann, BASF SE
  • Dr. Barbara Ofstad, Siemens AG
  • Dr. Udo Scheff, John Deere GmbH
  • Prof. Dr. h.c. Gerhard Stahl, Talanx AG
  • Dr. Christof M. Weber, Daimler AG

Members of the Public Life / Politics

  • Dr. Andreas Gerhardt, Ministry of Science and Health of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate
  • Dr. Christoph March, Federal Ministry of Education and Research
  • Stefanie Nauel, Ministry of Economics, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate
Participants of the 2023 Board of Trustees meeting
© Fraunhofer ITWM
Participants of the 2023 Board of Trustees meeting