Resignation of Executive Director Prof. Peter Schurtenberger
Joint announcement of the University of Fribourg and the Adolphe Merkle Foundation in
French
http://www.unifr.ch/scm/fr/news/5195/
German
http://www.unifr.ch/scm/de/news/5195/
Translation of “Joint announcement of the University of Fribourg and the Adolphe Merkle Foundation"
Adolphe Merkle Institute: Resignation of Executive Director Prof. Peter Schurtenberger
Professor Peter Schurtenberger resigns from his position as ordinary professor and as executive director of the Adolphe Merkle Institute (AMI). The University of Fribourg and the Foundation Board of the Adolphe Merkle Institute regret the departure of an internationally renowned scientist and thank him for his contribution to the rapid expansion and the remarkable development of AMI. Professor Christoph Weder will take on the interim management of the institute.
Founded in 2008 thanks to an exceptional donation of 100 million francs by the Fribourgian industrial Adolphe Merkle, the institute, carrying his name, aims to perform outstanding research in the area of nanotechnology, as well as to promote close collaboration with industry, following the mission of the Foundation. Nanomaterial research has been developed as a primary activity at the University of Fribourg since the eighties, attracting researchers of international standing. AMI has significantly strengthened this internationally recognized expertise and it has rapidly developed itself both on a scientific level as well as through industrial partnerships (see French/German Fact Sheets above). Divergent views on the definition of autonomy of AMI and the respective competences of its director, the university, and the foundation board have induced Prof. Peter Schurtenberger to send his resignation on the 30st of June 2010.
All concerned parties – the Adolphe Merkle Foundation, the University of Fribourg, the Direktion für Erziehung des Kantons Freiburg, and the interim director of AMI – work together towards a solution for the structural problems. The position of Prof. Schurtenberger will be opened and filled as soon as possible. The interim management of the Institute is ensured by Christoph Weder, ordinary professor in Polymer Chemistry at AMI.
Research projects at the Adolphe Merkle Institue continue, while the perspectives for the research groups that are directly influenced by the departure of Prof. Peter Schurtenberger are clarified. The work for the development of the Adolphe Merkle Institute will proceed: the Faculty of Science has started preparations to open the position of the third professor, who will install a new research group within AMI. Also the adjustments to the Garcia building, the future residence of AMI in close proximity to the Faculty of Science, will follow the planned schedule.
The University of Fribourg and the board of the Adolphe Merkle Foundation thank Prof. Peter Schurtenberger for his important work to establish AMI. They regret the departure of an internationally recognized scientist, who made a remarkable contribution to the visibility of the University of Fribourg in the field of nanomaterial research.
Source and contact: University of Fribourg, Media and Communication,
communication(at)unifr.ch, 026 300 70 34