Sabine Einwiller, who has already served as Department Vice-Chair since 2016, has taken over the duty of leading the department from Jörg Matthes.

Professor Matthes has shaped the department as a Vice-Chair since 2012, and since February 2014, as a Chair. With a focus on research excellence, he has led the department to one of the leading places for communication research in the world. Under his leadership, the department underwent tremendous changes in terms of personnel, content, and strategy. This concerns, first and foremost, the appointments of numerous new colleagues, but also diverse impulses for the research infrastructure, the introduction of an English-language Master's degree in Communication Science, a re-launch of the internal and external communication strategy, or the establishment of an Institutional Review Board (IRB). While the department did not appear among the top 200 in the Shanghai Ranking before 2012, it ranked among the best 200 in the world in 2014, among the best 150 in 2015, among the top 100 in 2016, among the best 50 in 2017, and among the top 30 places for communication science worldwide since 2018. Jörg Matthes will continue to share his expertise as Vice-Chair together with Fritz Hausjell.

Petra Herczeg was appointed as new Director of Studies. She is a long-term member of the Directorate of Studies and succeeds Klaus Lojka, who held this position for a total of 31 years. In more than 40 years at our department, Klaus Lojka shaped our study programs like no other. Klaus will remain as Vice-Chair of the Directorate of Studies until his retirement in fall 2023 and will continue to contribute his expertise and experience to smooth transition.

The Department of Communication would like to thank Jörg Matthes and Klaus Lojka for their invaluable, long-term work and service for the department.