EXC 2075 now has two new co-spokespeople – Wolfgang Nowak and Steffen Staab. They were elected by a large majority at the general assembly of the SimTech Cluster of Excellence held in mid-October during the annual status seminar in Bad Boll. Nowak and Staab took up office on 1 November, joining Thomas Ertl in the cluster’s team of spokespeople.
“I represent the application perspective in SimTech’s basic research, particularly with regard to porous media and energy/hydro/geosystems. To understand this perspective, we need seamlessly integrated machine learning, mathematical modeling, uncertainty analyses and high-performance computing. The question of how these methods can be combined plays a key role in SimTech’s research. Having played a part in the cluster almost since the very beginning, I’m particularly pleased to be taking these research questions forward as a co-spokesperson now,” Wolfgang Nowak explained.
Steffen Staab, who was also elected as a principal investigator, was delighted about his new role too. “I’ve been conducting research into artificial intelligence and data science for 25 years but I didn’t join the SimTech Cluster of Excellence until 2021. So I’m particularly happy that my fellow researchers have put their trust in me nonetheless. The vision behind the SimTech Cluster of Excellence – data-integrated simulation science – is a merger of two scientific paradigms aimed at developing and implementing new research methods in engineering and science. That aim can only be achieved through close, productive collaboration between the researchers involved. I see it as our task as co-spokespeople to promote that collaboration. I also firmly believe that my research on the explicit representation of knowledge can lend additional stimulus to the knowledge-acquisition process in SimTech.”
Thomas Ertl is set to retire in October 2023, at which point he will also step down as co-spokesperson for EXC 2075 and Director of SC SimTech. Until then, he will continue to serve as a co-spokesperson and the liaison officer for the DFG.
“We decided to bring a new generation into SimTech’s management bodies at an early stage so as to ensure a solid, forward-looking basis for the preparations for our next Excellence Strategy application. This set-up gives the two new co-spokespeople the opportunity to start gaining formal and practical experience now whilst also concentrating on taking the cluster’s work to the next level. Wolfgang and Steffen are ideal as representatives of the cluster’s two focus areas: simulation science and data science,” said Thomas Ertl, welcoming the decision.
Previous co-spokesperson, Frank Allgöwe, gave up his post in order to facilitate the early transition. He also stepped down from the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors of the Cluster of Excellence and SC SimTech would like to thank him for his tireless work since the cluster’s inception. He has handed over his duties as Head of the SimTech Graduate Academy to Johannes Kästner, who was also elected the new Chairman of the SC SimTech PhD Committee.
In addition to the two new co-spokespeople, the general assembly elected Miriam Schulte to the Board of Directors to replace Rainer Helmig as Academic Dean.