Stifterverband and Volkswagen Foundation award the first Lichtenberg Endowed Professorship to Henrik Oster

Prof. Henrik Oster (5th from right) is awarded a permament endowed professorship in neurobiology. National and local foundations have made this possible. Photo: René Kube


The University of Lübeck is awarded a permanent endowed professorship in neurobiology. This was announced by the university in a press conference on July 26, 2018. The chronobiologist and spokesperson of our GRK1957, Henrik Oster, will hold the first Lichtenberg Endowed Chair. In contrast to all other externally funded professorships in Germany so far, the endowed chair is a permament installment financed by a stock budget of EUR 4 million. This money is jointly provided by the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft, the Volkswagen Foundation, the Possehl Foundation, the Hanseatische Universitätsstiftung, the Lübecker Sparkassenstiftung and the Friedrich Bluhme & Else Jebsen Stiftung. With this new funding instrument, the Volkswagen Foundation and the Stifterverband want to support universities in retaining outstanding researchers. 

Under the leadership of Professor Henrik Oster, research at the CBBM will focus on the mechanisms of circadian timekeeping.  In addition, the scientists will investigate possible applications in medicine. Accumulating evidence suggests that the internal clock has a great impact on well-being and health. Clock disruption as observed during jetlag or in shift workers, affects cognitive and metabolic functions, but may also promote more severe diseases, for example diabetes, depression or even cancer.


https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/Uni-Luebeck-Vier-Millionen-fuer-die-innere-Uhr,uniluebeck140.html

https://www.presseportal.de/pm/18931/4018682