Prof. Senthold Asseng has been the new director of the HEF since February 1, 2021. He also heads the Chair of Digital Agriculture at the TUM School of Life Sciences since December 2020. His research interests lie in the development of mathematical modeling and computer simulation of agricultural and biological systems in the context of climate variability, climate change and sustainability. This will involve investigating adaptation strategies to improve food security in sustainable agricultural systems in the context of climate change. The complexity of the above research objectives requires a strong focus on building and expanding interdisciplinary research teams that include crop modelers, plant physiologists, breeders, soil scientists, hydrologists, climatologists, economists, and biostatisticians. With his international experience and networking, he will provide new impetus at HEF.
A big thank you to Prof. Thomas H. Kolbe, who in the past two years has further developed the HEF in the field of digitalization with major topics and projects such as the Smart Rural Area Infrastructure and the Sensor Network, among others. As a HEF member, he will continue to play a major role in the further development of these topics.