The tenure of Ursula Gather as rector of TU Dortmund University spanned from 2008 to 2020, marking a significant period of institutional leadership for the German mathematician. Born in 1953 in Mönchengladbach, she built a career defined by statistical research, academic administration, and service on the boards of major industrial and research institutions across Germany.
Academic Background and Research
Gather completed her higher education at RWTH Aachen University. Her doctoral research, completed in 1979 under the supervision of Burkhard Rauhut, focused on the detection of outliers and the robustness of statistical methods. She achieved her habilitation in 1984. Her early professional experience included a role as an assistant at RWTH Aachen starting in 1976.
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In 1985, Gather held a professorship at the University of Iowa. She returned to Germany the following year to join the faculty of statistics at the Technical University of Dortmund, where she served as chair for mathematical statistics and industrial applications. Within this institution, she took on administrative responsibilities, serving as dean of the faculty between 1991 and 1994 before succeeding Eberhard Becker as rector in 2008.
Foundation Leadership and Governance
Since 2013, Gather has chaired the board of trustees of the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation, succeeding Berthold Beitz. This foundation maintains a substantial interest in the ThyssenKrupp conglomerate. Her governance experience extends to several supervisory and advisory boards, including roles at Munich Re, NRW.Bank, and the Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH. She also serves as Vice President of the National Academy of Science and Engineering.
Awards and Recognition
Her contributions to academia and society have been acknowledged through several distinctions. She received the Alfried Krupp Award for Young University Teachers in 1987. In 2013, colleagues published a festschrift in her honor to mark her 60th birthday. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Łódź University of Technology in 2015 and received the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2018.
Fast facts
- Born: 1953, Mönchengladbach
- Doctorate: 1979, RWTH Aachen University
- Rector of TU Dortmund: 2008-2020
- Chairwoman of Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation: Since 2013
- Member of German Academy of Science and Engineering: Yes
- Honorary doctorate: Łódź University of Technology, 2015
- Recipient: Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Questions readers ask
What is Ursula Gather's primary field of expertise?
She is a statistician and mathematician with a research focus on outlier detection and robust statistical methods.
Did she work outside of Germany?
Yes, she held a professorship at the University of Iowa starting in 1985 before returning to Germany in 1986.
Achievements
- Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Held posts at Technical University of Dortmund and University of Iowa
