Thomas A. Henzinger reappointed as President of IST Austria

The Board of Trustees of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), in its meeting on Wednesday, November 28, has re-appointed Prof. Thomas A. Henzinger, for a second four-year term, as President of the Institute. The Board also approved the recommendation of Prof. Henzinger to appoint Dr. Georg Schneider as the new Managing Director of IST Austria as of December 1, 2012, replacing Dr. Gerald Murauer, who moved to a position in industry.

Professor Henzinger, accepting to lead the Institute for another term, said: “The reappointment by the Board of Trustees is a great honor for me. The last four years were a tremendous experience. I am very grateful for the confidence vested in me by the board members, and by the scientists who joined IST Austria. I also wish to take this opportunity to thank the staff of the Institute, whose dedication made the developments possible, our supporters in industry, who have contributed so generously, and the political leaders on the federal and provincial levels, who gave IST Austria a long-term horizon for planning. In the coming years I will do my best to validate this trust by firmly establishing IST Austria as a globally renowned center for basic research.” Henzinger’s second term will start on September 1, 2013.

Dr. Claus J. Raidl, Chair of the Board of Trustees of IST Austria, said: “We are delighted that Prof. Thomas Henzinger has agreed to accept the offer to serve a second term as President of IST Austria. Our decision is based on his achievements in the past four years and his vision for the future. In his first term Henzinger proved to be a successful leader of this rapidly growing Institute, coordinating the interests and efforts of all partners to create an atmosphere of excellence that has become the hallmark of IST Austria. With Thomas Henzinger we are confident that IST Austria will remain on its trajectory to success.”

Prof. Haim Harari, Chair of the Executive Committee of IST Austria, summarized the achievements of Henzinger by stating: “In his first four years Thomas Henzinger has succeeded in establishing theoretical and experimental science at IST Austria at a world-class level. In the words of the evaluation committee chaired by Nobel laureate David Baltimore in 2011: ‘Over a period of about two years IST managed to identify and attract an amazing group of faculty members that would be the pride of any top university in the world.’ Henzinger negotiated and reached an agreement on the long-term funding for IST Austria until 2026. This achievement gives IST Austria a bright and secure future. At the same time he has continued to excel in his own field of research.”

The new Managing Director, Dr. Georg Schneider, joins the Institute coming from AStar, Singapore’s strategic umbrella organization for science, technology, and research, where he served as deputy director and CIO of AStar’s Bioinformatics Institute since 2008. Schneider holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Vienna University of Economics and Business and a PhD in Chemistry (Bioinformatics) from the University of Vienna. Claus J. Raidl, Chair of the Board of Trustees of IST Austria, welcomed the new Managing Director: “With Schneider’s remarkable track record in science, business, and administration we are confident that he will contribute much to the future development of IST Austria. Georg Schneider will provide new ideas and approaches based on his multi-faceted, international background and knowledge. I am sure that, together with Thomas Henzinger’s experience, the management of IST Austria will continue to perform excellently.”

Schneider will take up his new position on December 1, succeeding Dr. Gerald Murauer, who will join Siemens Austria AG as Head of Corporate Technology for Central Eastern Europe. The Board of Trustees thanked Gerald Murauer for his leading role in developing IST Austria from the very beginning of operations in 2007. Thomas Henzinger: “Gerald Murauer was the first employee of IST Austria and grew the institution to more than 250 employees. The Institute owes him an enormous debt and will always look back with gratitude to the exciting first few years.”