Endowed Chairs

Endowed chairs are funded by external capital providers as for example business companies and are not, or not completely, funded by the University itself. They are, in general, limited to a five-year contract period and allow the donor to establish collaborations with scientists in research and development. Since 2006, the University has benefited from a growing number of private and corporate donations. The most visible ones are the endowed chairs:

• ATOZ Chair for European and International Taxation;
• SES Chair in Satellite Communications and Media Law;
• ArcelorMittal Chair of Steel Construction;
• Chaire en « Social Business and Social Management » de la Ville d'Esch-sur-Alzette (in German);
• ADA Chair in Financial Law (Inclusive Finance);
• Chair in Capital Markets and Post-Trade, co-financed by European Central Bank, Clearstream International S.A., Allen & Overy LLP, Deloitte General Services Sàrl, Brown Brothers Harriman, Lombard Odier (Europe) S.A., State Street Bank Luxembourg SCA;
• PayPal PEARL Chair (University of Luxembourg, FNR, PayPal Holdings Inc.).

The University has also been awarded:

• Chaire UNESCO en droits de l'homme;
• Two Jean Monnet Chairs in European studies.

The various chairs throughout the years

• First off was the Japanese electronics company TDK, that founded the TDK Europe professorship "New materials for solar cells" in 2006. This chair is filled by Prof. Susanne Siebentritt, head of the Laboratory for Photovoltaics at the University of Luxembourg.

• In 2007, the City of Luxembourg funded a professorship in urban development research, located within the Laboratoire de Recherche en Géographie et Aménagement du Territoire at the University. Its researchers focus on regional and communal planning in Luxembourg and in the Greater Region, on European regional planning concepts, and on sustainable regional and communal development. Professorship holder is Prof. Markus Hesse.

• In 2009, the company ATOZ Tax Advisors established a professorship for European and international tax law at the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance, currently held by Prof. Werner Haslehner.

• In March 2010, the University and the global satellite operator SES S.A. signed a partnership agreement that foresees, among others, a funded chair in Satellite Communications and Media Law; the position is held by Prof. Mahulena Hofmann.

• In September 2010, the world’s largest steel producer ArcelorMittal, headquartered in Luxembourg, sealed the ArcelorMittal Chair of Steel Construction with the University. The aim is to advance the development of energy efficient high-tech buildings made of steel, composite steel and glass. The chair was given to Prof. Christoph Odenbreit.

• Also in September 2010, the Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A. announced the funding of the Deutsche Bank Chair of Finance. World-renowned Prof. Rajnish Mehra was named Chair in September 2012. Although the chair ended in December 2016, he is still guest professor at the University of Luxembourg. The chair was based at Luxembourg School of Finance, located within the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance of the University, and focused on research in banking and finance that have applications within the banking sector in Luxembourg.

• The ad personam Jean Monnet Chair was attributed to Prof. René Leboutte in 2009. It aims to support teaching and research in contemporary European history by making use of new information technologies. The Chair will strengthen the links with the EU institutions, in particular the European Parliaments Archives (CarDoc), the European Studies Library of the European Investment Bank and the Centre Virtuel de la Connaissance sur l’Europe.

• In 2011 and 2012, the University of Luxembourg welcomed PEARL Chairs (Programme Excellence Award for Research in Luxembourg funded by the Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg, FNR):
  • Prof. Lionel Briand, Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust/Research Unit Computer Science and Communications;
  • The Chair on Social Inequality is held by Prof. Louis Chauvel from the Department of Social Sciences and Prof. Conchita D'Ambrosio from the Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences (DBCS). They examine social inequality within a Luxembourg, European and International context.

• In 2012, the UNESCO Chair in Human Rights (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) was appointed for the first time. It is currently held by Prof. Robert Harmsen, Department of Social Sciences (DSOC). The chair focuses on three areas, education, human rights research and creating awareness of human rights issues.

• In 2012, a Jean Monnet Chair in European Public Law was attributed to Prof. Herwig Hofmann.

• Prof. Eleftheria Neframi has been holding a Jean Monnet Chair on "The objectives of the European unification process" since 2013.

• Established by the city of Esch-sur-Alzette in 2013, and held by Prof. Dr Markus Miessen, the Chair is dedicated to set up research and teaching activities in urban planning and architecture, by prioritising questions of regional and crossborder interest on public space, mobility or socio-economic dynamics of the habitat.

• In 2014, the ADA Chair on Financial Law (Inclusive Finance) is created by Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Luxembourg and the non-governmental organisation ADA. The chair held by Prof. Dirk Andreas Zetzsche since March 2016 is affiliated to the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance and focuses on law and regulation in microfinance. The aim is to create new fields of expertise, highly needed within the industry.

• The Chaire de recherche en études parlementaires (Chair of Legislative Studies) is funded by the Chambre des Députés du Luxembourg. Since November 2014, Philippe Poirier, Senior lecturer in political science, has been conducting research on democracy, legislation and comparative politics in Europe. His studies mainly focus on: Parliament and economic governance at national and European level; Parliament and citizen participation, referenda and petitions; Parliament, code of conduct, status of the elected bodies and Europeanisation of the organisational norms of democracy; Parliamentarianism and the election process; Parliamentarianism, ethics and science.