The Senate and University Council elected Dirk Leuffen, a political scientist and current Vice Rector for Research, Innovation and Impact at the University of Konstanz, to succeed Katharina Holzinger.

In a joint meeting on 10 July 2026, the Senate and University Council of the University of Konstanz elected Dirk Leuffen, who is currently Vice Rector for Research, Innovation and Impact, to become the next rector at the University of Konstanz. In the spring of 2027, Dirk Leuffen will take over from Rector Katharina Holzinger, whose term of office ends as scheduled in February of 2027. Because of the retirement requirement, Holzinger is not available for a second term.

"I would like to express my gratitude and joy at being elected rector of the University of Konstanz. What is more, I am excited to work with the entire university community to develop the university further in the coming years. For me, the University of Konstanz is a real pearl among the universities in Germany and Europe. I am confident that we will succeed in making the university even more attractive as a place for research and teaching at the highest level."

Dirk Leuffen is an experienced researcher and science manager who is well-connected in Germany and around the world. He has been part of leadership at the University of Konstanz for many years already. In his role as vice rector (2015-2019 and since 2024), he has been responsible for key university developments, in particular, with regard to the promotion of research and early career researchers as well as the expansion of university research infrastructure. A specific priority for him is practical collaboration between research and society, including support for university start-ups.

"My heartfelt congratulations to Dirk Leuffen on the occasion of his election. We have worked closely together in the university's Rectorate team and have exchanged ideas for even longer within our shared field of political science and in the Cluster of Excellence 'The Politics of Inequality'. Dirk Leuffen is a clever observer, with a sharp focus and much dedication, which he will use to put visions for the university's future into action – for example, in one project that is near and dear to his heart: the Forum Konstanz. I am convinced that, with him at the helm, the University of Konstanz is in the very best hands", says Rector Katharina Holzinger in response to the election of her successor.

The future of the University of Konstanz
During his tenure as rector, Dirk Leuffen aims to strengthen and expand the university's profile and research priorities. This, in turn, will increase the university's international visibility to ensure that promising early career researchers and exceptional researchers continue to come to Konstanz. Building closer links among departments will foster even greater collaboration across disciplinary lines on key questions of our time – because, says Dirk Leuffen, "The big questions can't be solved by one discipline alone." He will place a stronger emphasis on teaching so that the University of Konstanz offers training that is research-centred and responds to today's challenges. Closer engagement with society and industry will encourage world-class researchers to think and act even more in ways that promote the greatest possible added value. Scholarship that is open and connected to society will also generate benefits for the region and its residents. Finally, the infrastructure and administration of the campus university will continue to be modernized.

"I am glad the leadership baton is passing to such an experienced person and strategic thinker as Dirk Leuffen. Over the course of many years, he has become very familiar with the university and different areas of responsibility. As a researcher, university manager and vice rector, he has shaped its development in key ways. Especially in this phase of reorientation and intense competition for research excellence, international visibility and the best talent, he is a great asset to the university", says Henrike Hartmann, chair of the University Council as well as the rector search committee. "Dirk Leuffen combines research excellence with a clear understanding of the social responsibility that universities carry. The University Council looks forward to working in close collaboration with him to the benefit of the University of Konstanz and its members."

About Dirk Leuffen
Dirk Leuffen, born in 1974, has been a professor of political science with a focus on international politics in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Konstanz since 2011. He is a principal investigator in the Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality" and an advisory member of the Executive Committee of the Zukunftskolleg at the University of Konstanz.

Leuffen studied International Cultural and Business Studies at the University of Passau. In 2006, he completed his dissertation at the University of Mannheim, earning the Lorenz-von-Stein Award for his work. Afterwards, he was a senior researcher at ETH Zurich until 2010, before being appointed as a professor of political science with a focus on international politics at the University of Konstanz. Leuffen is active in various committees outside the University of Konstanz, too, for example, in the committee for the selection and evaluation of International Max Planck Research Schools or, since 2026, as a member of the University Council at Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen.

Key facts:

• On 10 July 2026, Dirk Leuffen, a professor of political science with a focus on international politics and current Vice Rector for Research, Innovation and Impact at the University of Konstanz, was elected as the university's next rector.
• The new rector was elected at a joint meeting of the Senate and the University Council.
• The six-year term of office begins in the spring of 2027 after the Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg, Cem Özdemir, appoints Leuffen to the post.