Endowed Chairs at the University of Luxembourg
The University of Luxembourg is a world-class research university whose future activity is focused on three strategic areas that reflect key national and global challenges and trends: Digital transformation; Medicine and health; Sustainable and societal development.
To advance these goals, the University aims for a truly collaborative approach in delivering research and innovation with local and global socio-economic impact, and so looks to foster partnerships with private companies and the public sector.
Endowed Chairs: objective
Endowed Chairs - Professorships funded by a private or public external partner - act as a strategic accelerator for academic and research excellence and socio-economic impact. They are an important feature of the University of Luxembourg in its continued development as a leading international research university.
Endowed Chairs create a sustainable and trusted relationship between an external partner and the University that benefits students, researchers, society and donors alike. The basis of the partnership is a joint identification of a field of activity, which advances the goals of both partners and on which they would like to reinforce research and innovation.
Benefits for partners
- Partners derive benefits from Chairs through knowledge creation and research results generated by leading scientists at the University.
- Attraction of skilled and highly qualified talent.
- Local and global visibility.
Benefits for the University
- Leverage of funding for strategic research and education areas of the University.
- Enhanced visibility and contacts with societal partners.
- Improved student skillset for employability in an increasingly competitive labour market.
Track record: 16 endowed chairs
Since 2006 the University has established 16 Industrial, Public and Public-Private Chairs. They cover priority fields for the University and society such as Sustainable and Digital Finance; Steel Construction; Digital Procurement; Space Technology, Satellite Communication and Media Law; Parliamentary Studies; or Energy Process Engineering.
Endowed Chairs policy
To guide its engagement in this area, the University has adopted a policy on endowed Chairs. This sets out guiding principles for the establishment of a Chair, which include:
- Alignment of the Chair’s objective and purpose with the University’s missions and strategic goals.
- Safeguarding of the University’s academic freedom and autonomy at all times.
- Funding for a Chair covers a five-year period, and can be renewed. It funds the professorship and may also fund required additional staff and project equipment.
- University ownership of Intellectual Property resulting from the Chair’s activities; the partner may request to be informed first about the results of the activities of the Chair.
- Joint operation of governance and communications about the Chair’s activity.
Current endowed Chairs
Public Chairs
- Chaire de recherche en études parlementaires, Prof. Philippe Poirier
- Chair in Urban Development Research for Esch-sur-Alzette, Prof. Markus Miessen
- ADA Chair in Financial Law (Inclusive Finance), Prof. Dirk Andreas Zetzsche
- Chair in Sustainable Finance, Prof. Michael Halling
- Chair in Cyber Policy
Industrial Chairs
- ATOZ Chair for European and International Taxation, Prof. Werner Haslehner
- SES Chair in Satellite Communications and Media Law, Prof. Mahulena Hofmann
- ArcelorMittal Chair of Steel Construction, Prof. Christoph Odenbreit
- Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Prof. Mickaël Géraudel
- Chair in Capital Markets and Post-Trade
- Paul Wurth Chair of Energy Process Engineering, Prof. Bradley Ladewig
- Arendt and Elvinger Hoss Prussen Chair in Investment Funds Law, Prof. Isabelle Riassetto
Public-Private Chairs
- Chair in Digital Procurement, Prof. Nils Löhndorf
- PayPal-FNR PEARL Chair in Digital Financial Services, Prof. Gilbert Fridgen
Ended endowed Chairs
Three endowed Chairs previously received by the University have since ended:
- The TDK Europe Professorship in "New materials for solar cells" from 2007-12. This was filled by Prof. Susanne Siebentritt, currently head of the Laboratory for Photovoltaics at the University of Luxembourg.
- The Chair in Urban Development Research, funded by the City of Luxembourg from 2007-12, filled by Prof. Markus Hesse, currently Professor of Urban Studies at the University of Luxembourg.
- The Deutsche Bank Chair in Finance, which was held by Prof. Rajnish Mehra from 2012-16.
Other Chairs
Although not considered as endowed Chairs, the University has received a number of other types of Chairs:
- The UNESCO Chair in Human Rights (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is currently held by Prof. Robert Harmsen, Department of Social Sciences (DSOC). The Chair focuses on education, human rights research and creating awareness of human rights issues. This Chair was appointed in 2012 and renewed in 2019.
- The University has also previously received three Jean Monnet Chairs:
- Prof. Eleftheria Neframi was attributed a Jean Monnet Chair on "The objectives of the European unification process" in 2013.
- A Jean Monnet Chair on European Public Law was attributed to Prof. Herwig Hofmann in 2012.
- An ad personam Jean Monnet Chair was attributed to Prof. René Leboutte in 2009, which aimed to support teaching and research in contemporary European history by making use of new information technologies.
