“ZB MED is fortunate to have Professor Rebholz-Schuhmann on board in an executive position. He is a renowned expert who is comfortable working in both of ZB MED’s key areas of specialisation: life sciences and informatics. What’s more, he has experience in running a similar research institution in Ireland. That makes him the perfect match for ZB MED’s mission and mandate,” says Interim Director Dr. Dietrich Nelle, who handed over the post of Scientific Director to Rebholz-Schuhmann following an almost two-year transitional period.

Dietrich Rebholz-Schuhmann studied medicine in Düsseldorf and computer science in Passau. He then worked as a Senior Scientist at the German Research Center for Environmental Health (GSF) in Munich, focusing on medical image analysis and 3D visualisation. His next career move was a sidestep into industry, where he took on the role of Director Healthcare IT at a Heidelberg, Germany-based bioscience company. He then returned to the world of research, heading up a research group in semantic data analysis at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and conducting research in the field of computer linguistics in Zurich. Most recently, he ran the Galway facility of the Insight Centre for Data Analytics in his role as Professor of Data Analytics at the National University of Galway.

“Life sciences and data science will be the key issues I will be working on in Cologne and Bonn,” says Rebholz-Schuhmann. “Another of my priorities will be to give ZB MED an even stronger European and international edge, widening its profile as a key piece of information infrastructure and a leading research institute and service provider. I will also be looking to expand ZB MED’s cooperation with Cologne University as part of my professorship. We will be striving to incorporate new, relevant research results in ZB MED’s offerings in order to tailor the infrastructure and services we offer even more closely to our users’ needs. It’s a big challenge – and I’m looking forward to it!”

Read full press release