idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
With a ceremony in the lecture hall of the Alte Akademie in Freising, the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (Leibniz-LSB@TUM) yesterday, February 5, 2026, celebrated the handover of office to its Scientific Director Prof. Dr. Corinna Dawid. The event honored the change in leadership that took place in May 2025 and also marked an important institutional moment following the completion of the latest institute evaluation.
The ceremony opened with musical performances by the Lumina Quartet, which set a festive tone with music by Coldplay and ABBA. Prof. Dr. Katharina Scherf, head of the Food Biopolymer Chemistry research group at Leibniz-LSB@TUM, gave the welcome address.
In their welcome speeches, representatives from politics, science, and industry emphasized the strategic importance of the institute and the role of its scientific leadership. Ministerial Director Dr. Manfred Wolter (Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development, and Energy) and Ministerial Director Dr. Doris Heberle (Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity) spoke on behalf of the Board of Trustees. Dr. Gerhard Krammer (Symrise AG) and Prof. Dr. Elke Richling (RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau) presented the perspective of the Scientific Advisory Board.
The keynote speech was given by Prof. Dr. Thomas F. Hofmann, President of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). He emphasized the close connection between TUM and Leibniz-LSB@TUM and praised Prof. Dr. Corinna Dawid as an outstanding scientist with strategic vision for the future of food research.
The event focused on the ceremonial handover of office from Prof. Dr. Veronika Somoza to Prof. Dr. Corinna Dawid. Prof. Dr. Veronika Somoza, who had headed Leibniz-LSB@TUM as Scientific Director since November 1, 2019, was expressly honored for her many years of commitment and her significant contributions to the strategic and scientific development of the institute. Her tenure included raising the institute's profile, expanding national and international collaborations, and successfully positioning Leibniz-LSB@TUM within the Leibniz Association and in Freising as a center of science.
In her farewell speech, Prof. Dr. Veronika Somoza looked back on the defining milestones of her tenure and thanked the staff and committees for their trusting and constructive cooperation. At the same time, she emphasized the importance of increased networking within the Leibniz Association. The latter represents the diversity that is essential for systemic research approaches to solving relevant issues for sustainable global development. Its unique profile has enabled a new scientific diversity beyond the Leibniz Association, which is also reflected in the interdisciplinarity of Leibniz-LSB@TUM. Finally, she praised Prof. Dr. Corinna Dawid for her sound technical expertise and experience, with which she has taken on the position of Scientific Director at Leibniz-LSB@TUM. She wished her and the entire institute continued scientific curiosity and the courage to break new ground.
Prof. Dr. Corinna Dawid praised the great commitment and scientific foresight of her predecessor and outlined her vision for the future direction of the institute in her inaugural speech. The focus is on further strengthening systems biology research to improve food quality, closely integrating basic research and application, building bridges between science and society, and specifically promoting young scientists. She emphasized that Leibniz-LSB@TUM, with its interdisciplinary expertise, is excellently positioned to address key societal challenges in the areas of agriculture, nutrition, health, and sustainability.
The event was followed by a standing reception, which provided an opportunity for personal exchanges and discussions. Numerous guests from science, politics, and business took the opportunity to personally congratulate Prof. Dr. Corinna Dawid and thank Prof. Dr. Veronika Somoza for her successful term of office.
With the ceremonial handover, Leibniz-LSB@TUM underlined its commitment to permanently combining scientific excellence, strategic development, and social relevance.
Press Contact at Leibniz-LSB@TUM:
Dr. Gisela Olias
Knowledge Transfer, Press and Public Relations
Tel.: +49 8161 71-2980
Email: <g.olias.leibniz-lsb@tum.de
https://www.leibniz-lsb.de
Information About the Institute:
The Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (Leibniz-LSB@TUM) comprises a unique research profile at the interface of Food Chemistry & Biology, Chemosensors & Technology, and Bioinformatics & Machine Learning. As this profile has grown far beyond the previous core discipline of classical food chemistry, the Institute spearheads the development of a food systems biology. Its aim is to develop new approaches for the sustainable production of sufficient quantities of food whose biologically active effector molecule profiles are geared to health and nutritional needs, but also to the sensory preferences of consumers. To do so, the Institute explores the complex networks of sensorically relevant effector molecules along the entire food production chain with a focus on making their effects systemically understandable and predictable in the long term.
A Member of the Leibniz Associatation
The Leibniz-LSB@TUM is a member of the Leibniz Association, which connects 96 independent research institutions. Their orientation ranges from the natural sciences, engineering and environmental sciences through economics, spatial and social sciences to the humanities. Leibniz Institutes address issues of social, economic and ecological relevance.They conduct basic and applied research, including in the interdisciplinary Leibniz Research Alliances, maintain scientific infrastructure, and provide research-based services. The Leibniz Association identifies focus areas for knowledge transfer, particularly with the Leibniz research museums. It advises and informs policymakers, science, industry and the general public.
Leibniz institutions collaborate intensively with universities – including in the form of Leibniz ScienceCampi – as well as with industry and other partners at home and abroad. They are subject to a transparent, independent evaluation procedure. Because of their importance for the country as a whole, the Leibniz Association Institutes are funded jointly by Germany’s central and regional governments. The Leibniz Institutes employ around 21,300 people, including 12,200 researchers. The financial volume amounts to 2,2 billion euros.
Note on the use of AI
The press release was first translated from German into American English using DeepL Pro. The communications team then reviewed the text for factual and linguistic accuracy, making corrections where necessary.
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Prof. Dr. Corinna Dawid
Source: TinoGrafiert Fotografie
Copyright: Leibniz-LSB@TUM
A snapshot from the foyer of the Alte Akademie in Freising before the start of the ceremony.
Source: TinoGrafiert Fotografie
Copyright: Leibniz-LSB@TUM
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