New form of appreciation
Karl-Heinz Kampert becomes the first Distinguished Professor
From left: University Rector Prof Dr Birgitta Wolff, Distinguished Professor Dr Karl-Heinz Kampert and Dean Prof Dr Francesco Knechtli. // Photo Michael Mutzberg
With the establishment of the Distinguished Professorship, the University of Wuppertal is creating a structure to utilise the academic expertise, international reputation and experience of retired professors beyond their active service for the further development of the university. Distinguished Professors are particularly active in research and support the strategic goals of BUW.
In this way, the University of Wuppertal is sending a visible signal of recognition and institutional appreciation of outstanding academic achievements. "The title is a new form of honouring the achievements of older people in particular, who are at the height of their creative powers and whose knowledge the BUW clearly relies on," explains Rector Prof Dr Birgitta Wolff. "And it opens up good opportunities to remain eligible to apply to important funding bodies beyond the formal age limit and thus remain particularly successful in research."
"Karl-Heinz Kampert stands for international scientific radiance in a special way," says Prof Dr Stefan Kirsch, Vice-Rector for Research and Digital Affairs. He has shaped his field internationally through his academic work and has sustainably strengthened the research, visibility and networking of the University of Wuppertal over many years. "His commitment to the BUW extends far beyond his own discipline and makes him a special role model for scientific excellence and university responsibility," says Kirsch.
About the person
Prof Dr Karl-Heinz Kampert studied physics at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster from 1977 to 1983, where he obtained his doctorate in 1986. After working for three years as a postdoctoral researcher at CERN, he was an assistant professor in Münster from 1989 to 1995 and qualified as a professor in 1993. He then taught as a professor at the University of Karlsruhe and the Karlsruhe Research Centre (now KIT). He has been a professor of experimental physics at the University of Wuppertal since 2003. From 2010 to 2017, Kampert acted as spokesperson for the international Pierre Auger Collaboration in Argentina, in which the University of Wuppertal has been involved since 2003. He also cooperates closely with the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI), a large Helmholtz facility in Darmstadt.
Distinguished Professor
Candidates for the honorary title can only be nominated by the faculties; there is no provision for self-application. The Rectorate decides on the award on the basis of a quality-assured procedure involving the faculties and several external international experts.
The award of the title is linked to a special type of employment relationship under public law. The specific tasks, the time frame and the resources made available are defined in an individual agreement. The aim is to incorporate the expertise of the Distinguished Professors into current research and development processes in a targeted and effective manner.
