Michael Dröscher, Secretary General and Treasurer of the GDNÄ, talks about new momentum for the society, highlights of the meeting in Bremen and his own plans for the future.

Professor Dröscher, we are conducting this interview at the beginning of 2026. You have long been responsible for the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians: for eleven years as its Secretary General and for nine years as its Treasurer. Where does the GDNÄ stand today?
Not only are membership numbers stable, we can even hope for growth. This positive trend is by no means a given. Most scientific societies today are struggling with declining membership numbers and often lack young talent. This was also the case for us for a long time. 

What led to the turnaround?
The decisive factor was the founding of the GDNÄ’s Young Network, known as jGDNÄ for short. The network is open to scientists and medical professionals up to the age of 32 and is developing splendidly. The first self-organised congress took place in Heidelberg in June 2025, and the next one is planned for 2027. The young members are very committed and are bringing new momentum to our venerable society.

© MIKA-fotografie | Berlin

How do they manage that?
For example, they are active on our LinkedIn channel, which operates under the name “Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte” (German Society of Natural Scientists and Physicians). I recommend that all members take a look and become followers. We also owe the jGDNÄ a debt of gratitude for bringing us the attention of YouTuber and author Jacob Beautemps, whom we awarded the Oken Medal in December for his outstanding contributions to science communication. The young members are currently in the process of establishing regional structures, with groups in Aachen, Heidelberg, Bochum and Greifswald. Together, we have drafted rules of procedure that define the rights and obligations of the jGDNÄ. The rules are to be adopted at the next meeting in Bremen. 

What motivates these young people?
I believe they sense that we are happy to have them here. We give them a lot of freedom and involve them wherever possible. For example, representatives of the jGDNÄ always attend board meetings. Many appreciate the contact with established GDNÄ members and take advantage of the opportunities for further training. For example, we are currently developing a pilot project on medical communication with two-day workshops for our young people. The format fits in well with the theme of Science Year 2026, “Medicine of the Future”.

Most members are older than 32. What are your arguments for keeping this group in the GDNÄ? And for attracting new members from this age group?
There are a number of good arguments. Every membership fee, every donation and every bequest supports young people in the natural sciences and medicine, whether in our school programme or in the jGDNÄ. The contributions finance our small but highly efficient office, which makes our many activities possible in the first place. I am thinking, for example, of the Lorenz Oken Medal award ceremony at the Science Forum in Stuttgart, which was very well attended and raised our profile among important target groups . With our website and videos of lectures at the meetings, we contribute to science communication – all of which, of course, costs money. In addition, our members benefit directly from discounts, for example at the meetings and when subscribing to our association’s journal, the Naturwissenschaftliche Rundschau. They are also invited to our regional meetings, which we now want to offer more frequently.

© MIKA-fotografie | Berlin

A regional meeting took place in Leipzig in the summer of 2025. What happens next?
The Leipzig meeting was a good start. On 13 March, we will continue the series in Bremen; the invitations have been sent out recently. Our scientific director for the next GDNÄ meeting, Professor Michal Kucera, will give a lecture on his climate science research and discuss it with the participants. The event will be hosted by the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Bremen. Further regional meetings are in the planning stage.

The 134th GDNÄ meeting will take place from 17 to 20 September. How far along are the preparations?
The programme (pdf) is set, and preparations are in full swing. Once again, we have some fantastic lectures and a superb accompanying programme. One highlight is sure to be the public lecture by Professor Ben List, winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, on the evening of 19 September. The public is also invited to attend the lecture by Professor Thomas Zurbuchen from ETH Zurich on the subject of aerospace. He will speak on the eve of the opening, when we will also be hosting the popular Science Slam “Science in 5 Minutes”. The Bremen Senator for Science will give a welcoming address at the opening event. We have once again organised a programme for school pupils, with around 100 pupils from the region and around 50 students taking part. A poster exhibition is planned in the foyer, with prizes for the two best posters. Speaking of which, we will once again be awarding the Alexander von Humboldt Medal for outstanding services to the GDNÄ, and the Society of German Chemists will be presenting the Liebig Medal. The jGDNÄ is organising a student café on its own for the first time. It will be a compact gathering, with all events taking place on one level. The Congress Centre is only a ten-minute walk from the centre of Bremen. One more thing: this time, the closing speech will really be given on Sunday lunchtime so that everyone can get home on time.

It will be your last meeting as Secretary General. Why is that?

I am approaching eighty and am gradually retiring from my honorary positions on boards of trustees and other committees of scientific institutions. My position as GDNÄ Secretary General will be taken over by Professor Stefan Buchholz, with whom I have attended many events over the past few months. I will remain GDNÄ Treasurer until the end of 2027. My term as Chairman of the Administrative Board of the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research will also last until then. After that, I look forward to spending more time with my family and enjoying a more peaceful life.

How do you see the future of the GDNÄ?
As I said, the trend is positive – now we must do everything we can to ensure that it continues. The GDNÄ has held its own in the world of science for 204 years, experiencing heyday and weathering crises. Today, even large scientific societies are fighting for the attention of the public, which does not make things any easier for us. But we have many good ideas that we would like to implement and for which we need funding. As treasurer, I will therefore never tire of appealing to the generosity of our members. It is money well spent, and I vouch for that with my name.

Award for the chemist, catalysis researcher and future President of the GDNÄ

At the annual meeting of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in Halle, Professor Ferdi Schüth was newly elected to the Academy’s Presidium. The chemist and catalysis researcher is Director at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Mülheim. As the current Vice-President of the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians, he will take over the presidency of the GDNÄ in January 2027. The thematic focus of the Leopoldina Annual Meeting 2025 was artificial intelligence. 

In addition to Ferdi Schüth, Professors Thomas Lengauer and immunobiologist Thomas Boehm were also elected Vice-Presidents at the Leopoldina Annual Meeting on 25 and 26 September. Mathematician and computer scientist Lengauer gave the Leopoldina Lecture at the GDNÄ Annual Meeting 2018 in Saarbrücken on the topic of statistical data analysis in the age of big data. 

Ferdi Schüth’s research focuses on hydrogen storage, among other topics. He has developed innovative storage solutions and materials that enable the safe and efficient storage of hydrogen, thereby supporting the use of fuel cells and renewable energies. 

The Leopoldina is managed by an Executive Board and a Presidium. The Presidium meets at least four times a year and prepares all important decisions of the Academy. The members of the Presidium are elected by the Senate and serve a five-year term. They may be re-elected once. The Executive Board consists of the President and the Vice-Presidents. They are elected for a term of five years. They may be re-elected once. 

Professor Kaysser-Pyzalla, the motto of the 133rd GDNÄ meeting was ‘Science for our lives tomorrow’. In which areas do you see the greatest challenges and opportunities for science?
Our lives tomorrow will be determined by social developments. The greatest challenge for science is to present its own relevance to society in a comprehensible way. We at the GDNÄ must also show the role that research plays in the future of society and its economic and technological foundations. The greatest opportunity for science lies in communicating its results and methods, but also its limitations. To say: ‘We are here for society’. Our task is to make science recognisable in what it produces. Research is thus one of the foundations for decision-making in our democracy. 

Not all of these areas of responsibility are equally attractive to young scientists. Are there any areas that concern you?
I am concerned about the low number of students in technical subjects. But Potsdam has shown that the next generation understands the new challenges. They are addressing issues that deal with current developments or historical missteps and are highly relevant to society. As the GDNÄ, we must convey to our young scientists the significance and interdisciplinarity of research for their development. The ability to work in a team and clear analytical and evaluative skills are also good prerequisites for careers in research that lead into business and back again.

© Dima-Juschkow

The Young Network of the GDNÄ was founded to introduce young people to scientific thinking and working at an early age. How important is youth work within the GDNÄ as a whole?
Recruiting young talent must be our top priority. Without capable, committed and motivated young people, Germany will not be competitive. There are many young people who are inspired by excellent teachers to take an interest in the natural sciences. However, the field of technology is often neglected. We as the GDNÄ must be role models – representing scientific values, rethinking them and explaining their benefits to society. How can we succeed in introducing young people to scientific thinking and working through attractive offers? The GDNÄ gives young talent the opportunity to build networks and get to know new people, but above all to learn about new topics. 

There does not seem to be any gender disparity in young people’s interest in science, as can also be seen in the jGDNÄ. However, in advanced academic and industrial careers, the proportion of women often drops dramatically. Is this a ‘legacy issue’ that can be resolved by better support for young talent, or do you see structural problems that need to be solved?
I still see structural problems here, i.e. a legacy issue. The proportion of female students is steadily increasing. Many successfully complete their studies and some choose a scientific career. But what about the compatibility of family and career? This compatibility, which applies to both women and men, must be incorporated into everyday scientific life so that it produces the expected results. Everyone has the same opportunities. And it is clear that this can work. Increasingly, women are establishing themselves in areas where they were previously underrepresented. At the GDNÄ, too, it is noticeable that young female colleagues are heavily involved in our work and are very committed. 

Science in the 21st century is highly specialised in most cases, with researchers often focusing on very narrow areas of interest. But the challenges for ‘our life tomorrow’ are complex. What role do you see for the GDNÄ in stimulating exchange between disciplines and promoting interdisciplinary thinking?
The role of the GDNÄ must increasingly be that of a pacemaker in the German scientific landscape. We must succeed in strengthening interdisciplinary thinking. Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of a space engineer, for example. Taking orbital mechanics from her area of expertise, she is forced to consider many aspects of a complex mission. She can only succeed in this if she is prepared to think and act beyond the boundaries of her field. She must pool and expand collective knowledge, promote new ideas and also improve cooperation. This requires a high degree of interdisciplinarity in the context of complex systems. Then she, then we, will be successful. 

As important as dialogue within the sciences is, dialogue between science and society is at least as important. However, issues such as climate change and pandemic control have shown that this dialogue does not always work. The current example in the USA, where anti-scientific and pseudo-scientific positions seem to dominate politics, shows in a dramatic way how this can jeopardise not only scientific progress, but even the scientific status quo, i.e. what has already been achieved. How can and must science in general and the GDNÄ in particular respond to this?
The GDNÄ is the sum of its members. Every member should take a clear stand for science in conversations and discussions. Unfortunately, we see in the media how even prominent figures are involved in promoting pseudoscientific theories. We can counteract this through our public appearances. The GDNÄ stands for explainability. This includes translating existing knowledge in a way that is understandable and comprehensible to everyone. This is what the most recent winner of the Lorenz Oken Medal, Armin Maiwald, has been doing successfully for many decades. In this way, the GDNÄ strengthens the acceptance of scientific findings, such as those on man-made climate change. We explain the uncertainties of scientific findings and explain what science is good for. Because science, like the GDNÄ, is constantly evolving.

Kaysser-Pyzalla was elected to the office by the members of the GDNÄ for a period of two years. In the more than two-hundred-year history of the Society for Natural Sciences, the engineering scientist is the third woman to hold this office. Her predecessor, the Berlin zoologist Professor Heribert Hofer, will remain associated with the Society for Natural Sciences as First Vice President until the end of 2026.

As GDNÄ president, Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla is responsible for the scientific programme of the society’s 134th assembly. It will take place in September 2026 in Bremen under the title ‘Knowledge creates benefits – utilising science’. ‘The city offers an outstanding congress infrastructure and, together with Bremerhaven, a wealth of renowned science and research institutions,’ says the new president.

The GDNÄ conferences have always been forums for personal exchange between scientists and science enthusiasts. ‘In Bremen, we will create even more space for interaction,’ Kaysser-Pyzalla announces. The recently founded youth organisation of the society, initiated by Heribert Hofer, will contribute fresh ideas to the programme. In recent years, new formats for discussion between established scientists and young talents have been developed, which benefit everyone involved, says the trained mechanical engineer: ‘The generations can learn a lot from each other and I will promote this process in the interest of the GDNÄ.’

With its interdisciplinary orientation, the GDNÄ is ideally suited to discuss the complex challenges of the time in an interdisciplinary way. She believes it is important to show how research leads to innovations and technologies with the aim of benefiting society, says the new president. Kaysser-Pyzalla has been committed to this goal for years, and she will continue to pursue it in her new role.

In the new president’s view, the GDNÄ should offer as many opportunities as possible to enable citizens to participate in science: ‘This is another way in which we can contribute to the stability of our democracy.’

‘I am looking forward to the new task, to working with great colleagues on the board and with the highly efficient staff at the office,’ says Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla.

Heribert Hofer is the new President of the GDNÄ

With the internationally renowned wildlife researcher, a committed promoter of young talent takes over the presidency..

Professor Heribert Hofer, Director of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin, has been at the helm of the German Society of Naturalists and Doctors (GDNÄ) since 1 January 2023. The renowned zoologist was elected to the office of President by the General Assembly and The renowned zoologist was elected to the office of President by the General Assembly for the two years 2023 and 2024 and is thus responsible for the scientific organisation of the 133rd GDNÄ Assembly in 2024 in Potsdam. As President, he replaces pharmacologist Professor Martin Lohse, who moves into the office of 1st Vice President for two years. 

Heribert Hofer (62) has headed the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin-Friedrichsfelde since 2000. Until 2017, he was also head of the Department of Evolutionary Ecology at his institute. Since 2000, Hofer has also been Professor of Interdisciplinary Wildlife Research at the Free University of Berlin. Before his time in Berlin, he conducted research at the Max Planck Institute for Behavioural Physiology in Seewiesen, Bavaria, from 1986 to 1999, initially as a postdoctoral researcher and later as an independent scientist. In 1997, he habilitated at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich with a thesis on the behaviour of spotted hyenas in the Serengeti savannah. Heribert Hofer began his studies in zoology at Saarland University and completed them at Oxford University with a doctorate in “DPhil”. 

The internationally renowned scientist has been closely associated with the GDNÄ for many years. He has been involved in many ways: as an elected subject representative and group chair for the subject of biology, with speeches at meetings and as 2nd vice-president in the preparation of the 200th anniversary celebration in Leipzig. In addition to the dialogue with the public, Heribert Hofer attaches particular importance to the promotion of young talents within the framework of the GDNÄ student programme.

Looking back, looking forward

Dear members of the GDNÄ,

This year marks the end of my term as President of the GDNÄ. The corona pandemic has forced us to move the meeting originally planned for 2020 in Würzburg first to the following year and finally to merge it with the Leipzig jubilee meeting in September 2022. This has also extended my presidency to an unusual four years.

The first of these years, 2019, served to prepare the conference on the theme of “Images in Science”, to recruit speakers, to design a framework programme. The second year, 2020, took place practically only online after the federal government decided on the lockdown in March. Even after that, meetings in groups were at times forbidden or inadvisable. In March, an expert group consisting of GDNÄ members, state academies and the Ifo Institute produced a statement on how to deal with the Corona pandemic, which differed from the restrictive course of the Leopoldina. Against the background of our now almost two-year pandemic experience, the proposals for a gradual opening are still interesting and up-to-date.

With this statement, we opened our new website www.gdnae.de at the beginning of April 2020, which became the essential tool for communication for a long time with the help of news, reports, portraits and interviews. Thanks to all who contributed to this, especially to our editor Lilo Berg.

In the third year, 2021, vaccines against the SaRS-CoV2 virus became available – surprisingly quickly. Even if some in the population (and also in the GDNÄ) were sceptical about the injections, looking back as well as looking at China today shows that they played a central role in overcoming the pandemic. But progress was too slow to hold a large meeting, and so the Würzburg meeting planned for September had to be cancelled altogether.

This year, 2022, was marked on the one hand by very high covid case numbers with decreasing disease severity and declining death rates. On the other hand, the crisis of the pandemic was replaced by the crisis caused by the attack on Ukraine. It became clear that we personally and as a society are only partially crisis-proof and resilient – an observation that should concern us. Despite this situation, we have optimistically pursued the production of the commemorative publication “Wenn der Funke überspringt” and the planning of the anniversary conference and have been amply rewarded in both! Take another look back: “Commemorative Publication for the GDNÄ Anniversary” and “200 Years of the GDNÄ – Review of the Anniversary Assembly 2022” .

I am very grateful for the opportunity to run both and I thank everyone who made it all possible: the many excellent speakers who gave insights into their research, the lecturers who set the student programme on a good path, the board council and the staff of the office as well as the team around our local partner Jörg Junhold from Leipzig Zoo. I would also like to thank everyone who contributed to the commemorative publication, the authors, Lilo Berg for editing and Thomas Liebscher from Passage-Verlag for the design. Without financial support, the conference, the student programme and the commemorative publication would not have been possible: I would like to thank the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation, the Bayer Foundation, the AKB Foundation and the Klaus Tschira Foundation.

Now the focus is on the future. At the General Assembly in Leipzig, Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, Chairwoman of the Executive Board of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), was elected to the office of 2nd Vice-President; she will assume the Presidency in 2025. In accordance with the statutes, Heribert Hofer, Director of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin, will take over as President in 2023/24. I would like to welcome both of them in their new roles and wish them all the best for their tasks. Michael Dröscher will continue as Treasurer and Secretary General; I myself will take on the role of 1st Vice President.

This year, for the first time, we held the election of the professional representatives electronically. Marion Merklein (Erlangen-Nuremberg) was elected for the engineering sciences, Uwe Hartmann (Saarbrücken) for physics/geology and Peter Liggesmeyer (Kaiserslautern) for mathematics/computer science. I warmly welcome all those who will be newly involved in the GDNÄ.

There is much to do to prepare the next assembly in 2024 in Potsdam and to make the GDNÄ fit for the future. The involvement of young people has proven its worth, especially within the framework of the student programme. And as announced most recently at the award of the Lorenz Oken Medal to Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim in October, we want to further expand the dialogue with society.

I have experienced the GDNÄ as a vital society with many energetic members and am grateful for having been able to accompany it on its way into its third century. It has been a rich time!

I send you my warmest greetings and wish you and yours all the best for the New Year.

Yours

Martin Lohse, Präsident der GDNÄ