Museum in Germany to welcome a new director - Museum in Germany appoints new leadership figure
Munich-Based Physicist Michael Decker Set to Lead Deutsches Museum
Physicist Michael Decker will assume the position of the general director of the Deutsches Museum in Munich, starting June 1st. His appointment comes following the retirement of Wolfgang M. Heckl, who has led the museum for over two decades. Culture Minister Markus Blume (CSU) commended Decker's extensive scientific qualifications and management experience, calling them crucial for a Leibniz research museum and a crowd-pleaser.
Decker, currently heading the Information, Economy, and Society department at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), will not only lead the renowned technology and science museum in Munich but will also take up the chair for science communication at the Technical University (TUM). The inauguration is scheduled for June 2nd, while Heckl will bid farewell on the same day.
Before joining the Deutsches Museum, Decker's background in physics remained unspecific within the provided information. He has been an active member of scientific committees and organizations, such as the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) and the advisory board of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research's INSIGHT-Interdisciplinary Perspectives of Social and Technological Change.
The Deutsches Museum is one of eight Leibniz research museums, with its main building in Munich undergoing extensive renovation and modernization work since several years ago, expected to continue until at least 2028. Besides its main location, the museum operates the Traffic Center on Munich's Theresienhöhe and the Flight Hall Schließheim, with branches also in Nuremberg and Bonn. It remains unclear if Decker plans to take on any significant roles in these respective locations.
As Physicist Michael Decker transitions into the role of the general director of the Deutsches Museum, he will leverage his extensive scientific qualifications and management experience, particularly in science communication to foster a strong connection between the museum, science, and the community. Decker's appointment coincides with the ongoing environment-focused renovation and modernization work at the Deutsches Museum, significantly aligning with advancements in science, technology, education-and-self-development, and our shared environment.
