New director appointed at IBG-1

It has now been confirmed: Dörte Rother is the new director at the Jülich Biotechnology Institute. With immediate effect, she will head the IBG-1's Systems Biotechnology Department in cooperation with Wolfgang Wiechert. As the previous head of the Biocatalysis Group at IBG-1, Dörte Rother has made a name for herself internationally with her work in the field of synthetic enzyme cascades and process development for the sustainable production of optically active substances. On February 17, 2025, Dörte Rother was presented with her certificate as W3 professor by Rector Ulrich Rüdiger of the RWTH Aachen University. This means that she will also head the new Chair of Biocatalysis in the Department of Biology/Biotechnology in Aachen, into which she has already been integrated for many years. Dörte Rother will continue a long-standing tradition of biocatalysis with a clear focus on bioprocess development for a sustainable circular economy. Her appointment also marks the start of a generational change at IBG-1 and the handover of the baton from Prof. Christian Wandrey (1977 - 2008) and Prof. Wolfgang Wiechert (2009 - 2026) to the younger generation. The Jülich biotechnologists wish their new director all the best with the new strategic alignment of the institute and many years of scientific success.