Scientific progress thrives on conversation, discussion, and the exchange of ideas. Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz Center for Informatics has set itself the goal of promoting computer science research at the highest international level, in particular by providing infrastructure for scientific communication and exchange between researchers. Since 1990, small, hand-picked, and truly interdisciplinary groups of outstanding researchers and promising young scientists from all over the world have been meeting there. The center offers them the perfect place for concentrated reflection and constructive discussions. The worldwide literature search, which is essential for serious research, is supported by the operation of the most important international literature database for computer science, dblp. The database contains more than 7.7 million entries. The freely accessible website dblp.org offers hand-curated author profiles and is visited more than one and a half million times a day on average. Affordable open access publishing services, such as the internationally recognized conference proceedings series Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics, facilitate global exchange among researchers. Finally, the center also participates in collaborative projects such as the National Research Data Infrastructure NFDI.
The Saarland is therefore home to an internationally used, unparalleled world-class research infrastructure for computer science, with dblp also largely based in Rhineland-Palatinate on the university campus in Trier. The meeting center at Schloss Dagstuhl in Wadern brings together computer science luminaries from around the world to exchange knowledge and work together, offering fantastic networking opportunities for the German researchers in attendance, as more than 3,500 international researchers visit the castle each year. Thanks to the exchange between industry and computer science research that is part of the concept and the frequent exchange between computer science and related disciplines, Schloss Dagstuhl has an impact far beyond purely academic circles. During the farewell ceremony for Professor Seidel on May 16, 2025, there were greetings from politicians, such as Elena Yorgova-Ramanauskas, State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital Affairs, and Energy of the Saarland, there were also scientific presentations, with the lecture by Turing Prize winner Robert Endre Tarjan opening the scientific part of the evening as a special highlight.
Professor Seidel has decisively shaped the profile of Schloss Dagstuhl over the past 11 years. He successfully guided the Leibniz Center for Informatics through the challenges of the turbulent times of the pandemic, and under his leadership, the center was evaluated with top marks by the Leibniz Association both before and after the pandemic. Professor Hermanns has been familiar with the Informatics Center Schloss Dagstuhl for decades as a regular participant in its scientific meetings. As long-standing chairman of the Friends'; Association and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Schloß Dagstuhl Informatics Center Foundation, he has been able to directly accompany the center's fortunes over many years and also help shape individual aspects of it.
Jürgen Barke, Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital Affairs, and Energy, welcomes that continuity at the helm of the Leibniz Center for Information Technology will be maintained during this leadership transition:
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Seidel for taking on the responsibility of leading the LZI over the past 11 years. Under his leadership, the LZI has not only continued to develop, but he has also guided the institute through difficult times during the pandemic. In addition, the institute has twice received excellent scientific evaluations. At the same time, I am delighted that we have been able to find someone in Prof. Hermanns who is now taking on this responsible task.”
Professor Hermanns is an internationally renowned scientist in the fields of modeling and verification of concurrent and resource-adaptive systems. Among the unconventional applications of his research are his work on wireless braking of bicycles, decentralized stabilization of energy grids, and energy-optimal operation of fleets of small satellites. He has held a professorship at Saarland University since 2003.
Professor Seidel will now focus more on his new role as Vice President for Sustainable Development and Strategy at Saarland University. Among other things, he will head the Sustainability Committee and support the further development of the university's sustainability goals.
Picture f.l.t.r.: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hermanns (new Scientifici Director LZI), Ministerial Director Katharina Heil (Ministry of Science and Health of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate), Prof. Raimund Seidel, Ph.D. (former Scientific Director LZI) und State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital Affairs, and Energy Elena Yorgova-Ramanauskas (Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital Affairs, and Energy of the Saarland); Picture by: Tobias Serf
