Saskia Vormfelde will be the new Administrative Director at HZB

The successful science manager moves from Freiburg to Berlin on 1 September 2025.

Saskia Vormfelde, currently Administrative Director at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), will take over the administrative management at HZB from 1 September 2025. She succeeds Thomas Frederking, who is retiring after 32 years at HZB, including 13 years as Administrative Director.

Saskia Vormfelde has a degree in business administration. As a member of the extended institute management of Fraunhofer ISE since 2020, she is responsible for the administration and strategic personnel and organisational development of the institute. Previously, she was the Managing Director of a software development company for several years. 

“I am very pleased to continue to support outstanding research for a sustainable energy supply and thus the security of our society,” says Saskia Vormfelde. “Planning and realising new challenges such as the future project BESSY III together as a team motivates me to move to HZB.”

Volkmar Dietz (BMBF), Chairman of the HZB Supervisory Board and head of the search committee, says: “I am very pleased that we have succeeded in recruiting Ms. Vormfelde for HZB. She brings a lot of experience and complementary expertise from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, is already familiar with many HZB topics and can use her experience to further advance the digitalisation of the centre.”  

Jutta Koch-Unterseher, Deputy Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board and Head of the Research Department in the Berlin Senate Administration, emphasises: “We are delighted that Ms. Vormfelde, a successful science manager, is joining HZB. This testifies to the high attractiveness of HZB and Berlin as a science location.”

Bernd Rech, Scientific Director of HZB since 2017, is looking forward to working with Saskia Vormfelde.  “HZB's mission is cutting-edge research,” says Bernd Rech. “We can only fulfil this if the entire centre is behind it at all levels. Thomas Frederking and I have been living by this maxim in our joint management for many years. I am very much looking forward to continuing on this path together with Saskia Vormfelde.”