The term of office of FIAS Director Eckhard Elsen ended on April 30. He was Scientific Director of the research institute for three years. In 2022 - as a result of a change to the Statutes - he replaced the previous management of the five-member Executive Board, including the Managing and Administrative Director, for three years.

During his term of office, he set some new directions and provided impetus for the professional and structural development of FIAS. For example, the topic of “digital twins” was established as an important interdisciplinary focus. FIAS is thus opening up promising possibilities in the natural sciences - from molecular simulations and tissue modeling to AI-supported medical digital twins. During the Giersch conferences, it became clear that such approaches can help to control scientific experiments better, carry them out faster and predict their results more precisely.

Elsen's term of office also saw the 20th anniversary of FIAS, which presented the scientific diversity of FIAS to the public in a colorful series of exhibitions, open days and ceremonies. In recent years, the FIAS Forum has also been revived, a popular series of lectures on research for the general public.

Elsen, a physicist, worked for many years as a scientist at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) and the University of Hamburg. From 2016 to 2020, he was Director of Research and Computer Science at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, before taking over as Scientific Director at FIAS in 2022.

All FIAS committees and staff would like to thank Elsen for his commitment, ideas, suggestions, and encouragement to support FIAS on its path in the theoretical study of complex systems. An official farewell will take place when the successor is appointed. Until then, the previous deputy Volker Lindenstruth will take over the management of the institute ad interim. He has been a member of FIAS since 2007 and has played a key role in shaping the institute for many years as a member and chairman of the board.