Achim von Keudell

Rectorate Achim von Keudell is new Vice-Rector

The plasma physicist has been appointed Vice-Rector for Structure and Planning. He takes over the office from Denise Manahan-Vaughan.

The Rectorate of Ruhr University Bochum is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Achim von Keudell as the new Vice-Rector for Structure and Planning. On January 30, 2025, the university election assembly elected the plasma physicist on the recommendation of the Rector for the duration of the term of office held by the current Rectorate, i.e. until October 31, 2027. The previous incumbent Professor Denise Manahan-Vaughan has resigned from office for personal reasons.

“We would like to thank Denise Manahan-Vaughan for the excellent cooperation over the past few years and her dedication and hard work. She played a key role in moving our university forward,” says Rector Professor Martin Paul. “With regard to the tasks that lie ahead in the Vice-Rectorate for Structure and Planning, we are looking forward to working with Achim von Keudell and to the fresh input he is going to provide – all the more so as he has a great deal of experience in academic self-administration. We are very pleased to welcome him to the Rectorate team.”

Department with numerous touchpoints

The newly elected Vice-Rector views his area of responsibility as a department within the university management with interfaces and touchpoints to all other departments. “The Vice-Rectorate for Structure and Planning provides the framework for the continued development of Ruhr University Bochum as an institution geared for success. All universities will face structural challenges in the coming years. Ruhr University Bochum can only hold its own if we manage our resources flexibly and transparently, face up to competition and deepen and strengthens alliances with all stakeholders within and outside the university.”

Challenge no. 1: The University Development Plan

One of the first tasks assigned to the new Vice Rector will be to help update the University Development Plan (UDP) and to continue the projects already successfully initiated by Denise Manahan-Vaughan, such as the ongoing development of perspective planning. The UDP outlines the key measures and objectives in the university’s areas of activity; they currently include profile building, talent development, strategic partnerships, support structures, sustainable campus development and governance. The new UDP will be drawn up for the years 2026 to 2030.

About the person

Achim von Keudell has been Professor of Experimental Physics, with focus on the physics of reactive plasmas, at the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy at Ruhr University Bochum since 2003. He previously worked for several years at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Garching near Munich. Currently, von Keudell is the spokesperson for the Collaborative Research Centre 1316 “Transient Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas – from Plasma to Liquids to Solids”.

In the course of his career as an academic and successful research manager, he has been involved in various functions in all of Ruhr University Bochum’s proposals in the Excellence Initiative and the Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments. He has also gained experience in research management as Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of a major Leibniz Institute and as a reviewer on numerous national and international committees. He has held a number of positions in academic self-administration, including as a member of the University Senate and as a member of the University Planning Commission, as Dean and Dean of Studies of his faculty. In cooperation with TU Dortmund University, he was the Ruhr University Bochum’s representative in charge of developing the Master’s degree program in Medical Physics.