In his new role, he will focus on further strengthening MAPEX and promoting its ongoing development and visibility. The entire team looks forward to working with him and extends a warm welcome to Lars Henning!

To start things off, he answered a few questions to introduce himself to MAPEX and its members:

What are you looking forward to at MAPEX?

“It’s all about the people. Over the last two years, I’ve already had the opportunity to get to know the impressive MAPEX spirit. That’s why I am really excited to join such a strong team and I hope I can help to transfer our ideas into vivid projects and applications.”

What makes MAPEX special to you?

“Thanks to its interdisciplinary strengths, MAPEX is a highly competitive player in materials science, where breakthroughs often emerge at the intersections of disciplines. As its overarching goal, MAPEX focuses on R&D of materials and processes for a sustainable future. And this focus on sustainability is personally very motivating to me.”

What made you decide to pursue a career in research management?

“In my first postdoctoral position, I was involved in an EU collaborative project, where I took on the role of project management and numerous coordination tasks. Since then, I have been passionate about working at the intersection of excellent research, supportive administration, and strategic management.”

What were you doing before you joined MAPEX?

“I am a trained microbiologist. After switching to science management, I became a project manager and later a research support officer and proposal advisor. I headed the Department of Research Support at the Alfred Wegener Institute and was head of the Research Support Division for the Senator for Environment, Climate, and Science of the State of Bremen.”