Prof. Martin Klingenspor has already held several university positions: He has many years of experience as Dean of Studies and Academic Program Director for nutrition science courses. He has been spokesperson for the Research Department Molecular Life Sciences since fall 2023 and became Dean of the School in 2025. As a scientist, he conducts research and teaches at his chair for Molecular Nutritional Medicine.
What was your experience of the start of your new role?
My term of office began with a bang: at the end of September, together with our Dean Prof. Kögel-Knabner, President Prof. Thomas Hofmann, and Chancellor Albert Berger, we celebrated the fifth anniversary of the School of Life Sciences. Lecture Hall 14 was well filled. There could not have been a better occasion for the handover. I feel honored to succeed my highly esteemed colleague and have the utmost respect for this responsible task.
What did you particularly like?
Right from the start, it became clear that I would be supported in this task by an extremely dedicated team in the Dean's Office of the School of Life Sciences. We can look back on five successful years. The school's new governance structure has proven very effective. The School Executive Board discusses upcoming issues and prepares decisions for the School Council. This ensures efficient and targeted decision-making processes. With the new appointees to the School of Life Sciences, I perceive a spirit of optimism that makes me confident about further developments in the coming years. This can be seen, for example, in the lively discussion about the tasks and goals of the new agricultural center together with HSWT and LfL.
What are your goals and plans for the further term as dean?
I have now been at TUM in Weihenstephan for 18 years – which is a good precondition for keeping track of more than 80 professors and around 1,500 employees. The position of dean means a change of perspective, which I find exciting. This includes meetings of the extended university executive committee together with the deans of the six other schools at TUM, where I gain new insights into TUM as a whole and can address specific issues concerning the School of Life Sciences.
However, being a part-time dean is also challenging, as research at my chair is still in full swing with management tasks in DFG-funded collaborative projects (see Transregio SFB BATenergy und iMAGO FOR5298) and other projects funded by the DFG, BMWE, and EKFZ. However, these research activities help me as dean to keep an eye on the essential needs and problems of researchers. Figuratively speaking, I see myself as a player-coach who makes tactical and strategic decisions from the bench, but also actively intervenes in the game himself. This is not only about the players, but also about the support staff at all levels who keep the game running.
Where can we improve even more?
- The School of Life Sciences employs outstanding scientists whose excellent research work has gained national and international recognition. The school embodies its „One Health“ vision in the breadth required to address the challenges of the future. In November, it was announced that 10 of TUM's 17 Highly Cited Researchers work at the School of Life Sciences. In the future, we intend to build on this scientific excellence by expanding our research-strong location further through joint projects and setting specific priorities that can give rise to clusters of excellence.
- Bureaucratic barriers need to be removed to accelerate research and development. I hear complaints from many quarters that internal processes are overregulated. Of course we need bureaucracy. However, in some areas, we should stop trying to be the model pupil. Internal processes will need to be reviewed in order to eliminate unnecessary regulations within the legal framework. This applies to areas such as studies and teaching, construction, human resources processes and cooperation agreements. I have asked the School Council to compile a list of ten processes that can be eliminated or significantly streamlined. There may be more, but let's just get started.
- I would like to actively strengthen the so-called mid-level faculty in line with the guidelines of the TUM Agenda 2030: This means giving scientists and academic support staff more freedom to make decisions and more responsibility to relieve researchers of administrative tasks. This should be linked to development opportunities for employees who take on these challenges.
- Implementing and accepting such measures requires internal communication to be cultivated and expanded. I attach great importance to this and am looking for ways to intensify the exchange of information. Only in this manner can we present a united exterior and successfully achieve our goals.
