FAU engineer to have a leading role in promoting research in Germany

Prof. Dr. Marion Merklein has been elected to the Senate of the German Research Foundation

A great success for FAU: Engineer Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Marion Merklein has been elected to the Senate of the German Research Foundation (DFG). The members of the Senate advise and decide on all important affairs of the DFG. The DFG itself is the largest organisation for funding research in Germany, and also has a key role in promoting the self-governance of science and research.

The Senate consists of 39 members from universities, other research institutes and academies of science and humanities, most of whom are elected by the DFG General Assembly. The Senate is responsible for all important decisions relating to research funding prior to the final funding decision and for all important decisions relating to organising the review, assessment and decision-making processes. It also decides which review boards should be formed and how they should be structured.

At this year’s General Assembly, Prof. Dr. Marion Merklein from the Chair of Manufacturing Technology was elected to the Senate, together with eleven other researchers. One of the members to leave the Senate is Prof. Dr. Robert Weigel, Chair of Electronics Engineering. Prof. Merklein is responsible for the area of manufacturing sciences within the prestigious committee, whose members include the President of the German Rectors’ Conference, the President of the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities and the President of the Max Planck Society by right of office.

Prof. Marion Merklein is a leading international researcher whose excellent research focuses on the intersection of materials science and manufacturing technology. She has been awarded the Leibniz prize for her work, which has resulted so far in more than 400 publications covering a wide range of topics. Her research priorities include sheet-bulk metal forming focusing on lightweight materials, material characterisation and modelling, and simulating forming processes. Her dedication has established her excellent reputation in the local region and beyond, and her achievements have been recognised as a member of the large-scale research facilities committee of the German Council of Science and Humanities and the selection committee of the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation.

Further information

Prof. Dr. Marion Merklein
Phone: +49 9131 8527140
marion.merklein@fau.de