The L3S Research Center has appointed Prof. Dr. Bodo Rosenhahn as its new Executive Director. The decision was made at the most recent General Assembly, where Rosenhahn was also confirmed as one of the three members of the L3S Board of Directors. He succeeds Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Nejdl, who has shaped L3S for more than two decades.
Under Wolfgang Nejdl’s leadership, L3S developed into an internationally recognized centre for AI research. He strengthened the institute sustainably, secured institutional funding, and established key research priorities. He will continue to serve as a director and, together with Wolf‑Tilo Balke and Bodo Rosenhahn, remain part of the leadership team. Prof. Dr. Wolf‑Tilo Balke will further expand scientific and institutional collaboration between the L3S locations in Hannover and Braunschweig.
Reflecting on his tenure, Wolfgang Nejdl said: “Looking back, I am proud of how L3S has fostered innovative research that has led to international recognition. This includes our work in information retrieval, our focus on the web as a historical, semantic, and societal artifact, and our successful establishment of strategic partnerships across Europe. Today, I am especially excited about our ongoing projects at the intersection of artificial intelligence and medicine, as well as our pioneering work on large language models, which promise to shape the future of research and real-world applications. I am confident that L3S will continue to evolve and grow under the leadership of my colleague, Bodo Rosenhahn.”
Prof. Dr. Bodo Rosenhahn has been closely connected to L3S for many years and has played a major role in shaping its development. In his various roles as director, researcher, dean, and spokesperson for numerous collaborative research initiatives, flagship projects, and excellence clusters, he has significantly contributed to advancing computer science in Hannover and increasing its international visibility.
Looking ahead to his new role, Bodo Rosenhahn emphasised: “In the wake of the AI revolution, we face major challenges that will impact our work, our lifestyles, and our security. Within the fantastic L3S team, I am thrilled about the great opportunity and responsibility of further developing L3S into an AI research centre of the future and for the next generation of researchers.”
With this leadership transition, L3S continues its mission to drive excellent research in artificial intelligence and to provide innovative impulses for science, industry, and society.
