Ombudspersons for good scientific practise appointed

The new ombudspersons at HZB have been appointed. from right to left, top: Manfred Weiss, Annette Pietzsch, bottom: Sebastian Fiechter and Michael Tovar. They will be happy to advise you on all questions regarding good scientific practice and the supervision of young researchers. Just get in touch with them!

The new ombudspersons at HZB have been appointed. from right to left, top: Manfred Weiss, Annette Pietzsch, bottom: Sebastian Fiechter and Michael Tovar. They will be happy to advise you on all questions regarding good scientific practice and the supervision of young researchers. Just get in touch with them!

Manfred Weiss, Sebastian Fiechter, Annette Pietzsch and Michael Tovar have been available to you as ombudspersons since 1 January 2023. They will be happy to advise you on all questions regarding good scientific practice at the HZB.

For Manfred Weiss and Sebastian Fiechter, this is their second term as ombudspersons. Annette Pietzsch and Michael Tovar have taken on the role of ombudsperson for the first time. All four have many years of experience in academic work. This mix of new and existing ombudspersons is intended to allow for both continuity and the change in ombudsperson ships required by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

The Scientific and Technical Council at HZB (WTR) recommended the four ombudspersons for appointment to the HZB management after carefully evaluating all proposals. The term of office of the ombudspersons begins on 1 January 2023 and ends on 31 December 2025.

Iver Lauermann and Yvonne Tomm retired as ombudspersons at the end of 2022 after their term of appointment ended. The HZB management and the WTR would like to thank the previous team for their dedicated and excellent work and wish the new ombudspersons a good start and much success! 

The team of ombudspersons will introduce themselves to the staff in the coming weeks.

Rules of good scientific practice at HZB

In 2021, the HZB revised its rules of good scientific practice based on the recommendations of the DFG (see News). The catalogue of rules not only contains statements on what careful scientific work should look like, but also addresses the responsible supervision and education of young scientists.

What are the ombudspersons for?

The ombudspersons are the first point of contact for dealing with possible scientific misconduct. They also advise on questions regarding the supervision of young academics. The ombudspersons act with the greatest possible confidentiality. To avoid bias, persons from different scientific areas of the HZB have been appointed for this purpose.

(sz)

  • Copy link

You might also be interested in

  • Green hydrogen: A cage structured material transforms into a performant catalyst
    Science Highlight
    17.04.2025
    Green hydrogen: A cage structured material transforms into a performant catalyst
    Clathrates are characterised by a complex cage structure that provides space for guest ions too. Now, for the first time, a team has investigated the suitability of clathrates as catalysts for electrolytic hydrogen production with impressive results: the clathrate sample was even more efficient and robust than currently used nickel-based catalysts. They also found a reason for this enhanced performance. Measurements at BESSY II showed that the clathrates undergo structural changes during the catalytic reaction: the three-dimensional cage structure decays into ultra-thin nanosheets that allow maximum contact with active catalytic centres. The study has been published in the journal ‘Angewandte Chemie’.
  • 103 schoolgirls on Girls'Day at HZB
    News
    03.04.2025
    103 schoolgirls on Girls'Day at HZB
    On April 3, 2025, the annual Girls' Day took place, giving schoolgirls an insight into various careers in science and technology. We welcomed a total of 103 schoolgirls at our Adlershof and Wannsee sites and offered them a day full of exciting experiments - more participants than ever before!

  • Optical innovations for solar modules - which are the most promising?
    Science Highlight
    28.03.2025
    Optical innovations for solar modules - which are the most promising?
    In 2023, photovoltaic systems generated more than 5% of the world’s electrical energy and the installed capacity doubles every two to three years. Optical technologies can further increase the efficiency of solar modules and open up new applications, such as coloured solar modules for facades. Now, 27 experts provide a comprehensive overview of the state of research and assess the most promising innovations. The report, which is also of interest to stakeholders in funding and science management, was coordinated by HZB scientists Prof. Christiane Becker and Dr. Klaus Jäger.