Adapting to change often has two sides: difficulty in letting go of the familiar and excitement in the coming opportunity. The Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation (HLFF) is experiencing a transition, one that has very deep roots. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h. c. Andreas Reuter retires from his post as Scientific Chairperson of the HLFF, which he held since the Foundation was established in 2013. Andreas Reuter was not only fundamental in developing the scientific elements for each HLF program, he played an integral role in bringing the Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF) to fruition.

All great things begin with an ambitious vision, and the HLF is no exception. In the fall of 2011, Dr. h. c. Klaus Tschira, co-founder of SAP and founder of the Klaus Tschira Foundation, and Andreas Reuter began toying with the quite brazen concept of organizing a networking conference for mathematicians and computer scientists. Just two years later in September of 2013, the 1st HLF opened its doors to participants eager to exchange and discuss with renowned groundbreakers in mathematics and computer science. Though the venture was undoubtedly bold, Tschira and Reuter already had an established history of transforming brash concepts into concrete structures, such as the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS) in 2010 that has supported the HLF as a Scientific Partner since 2016.

However, the scientific chair of the HLFF will not remain empty. Prof. Dr. Anna Wienhard, a renowned professor of mathematics at Heidelberg University and a research group leader at the HITS will be his successor starting this October 1, 2020. Anna Wienhard has long been an active member of HLF’s Scientific Committee and avid supporter of the HLF promoting its underlying purpose.

After her studies at the University of Bonn she was a postdoc at the University of Basel, the Institute of Advanced Study and the University of Chicago, and an assistant professor at Princeton University. She has held numerous visiting professor positions and has received an NSF Career grant as well as an ERC Consolidator grant. She is a Fellow of the American Mathematical Sociey and was an Invited Speaker at the ICM in Rio de Janeiro in 2018. Her list of credentials does not end there, it is safe to say she is more than qualified to inherit the chair.

"We thank Andreas Reuter for his valuable contributions to the HLFF and welcome Anna Wienhard in her new role," says Beate Spiegel, Chairperson of the HLFF and Managing Director of the Klaus Tschira Foundation. "For the HLFF this change will be an exciting transition, one where the torch is passed between two individuals with a strong common thread: an appreciation for science and a passion for igniting it in others."