RIFS Mourns the Loss of Ernst Rietschel
02.11.2026
Ernst Theodor Rietschel was an outstanding scientist whose contributions to his own field were matched by his service to science in Germany as a whole. After his habilitation in 1978, he headed the Leibniz Centre for Medicine and Biosciences for many years. He was President of the Leibniz Association from 2005 to 2010 and, from its founding in 2013 until 2015, the first Chair of the Board of Directors of the Berlin Institute of Health.
Ernst Rietschel always looked beyond the boundaries of his own discipline. As President of the Leibniz Association, and building on the 2007 Potsdam Memorandum, he supported the IASS (Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies) from the very beginning and had a formative influence on its establishment and development. He chaired the working group of the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany whose work resulted in the founding of what is now the Research Institute for Sustainability at the GFZ (RIFS).
Here he drew on his experience in biomedicine, where basic researchers have long worked with doctors and patients to translate scientific knowledge into medical progress. For the IASS/RIFS, his aim was to forge closer links between science and society: to translate sustainability research into practice and widen the field’s focus to take in the social dimension of sustainability.
As a founding member and first Chair of the IASS General Assembly from 2009 to 2015, and as a member from 2016 to 2023, he was instrumental in bringing the idea of an “Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies” to life. Karin Lochte, his successor as Chair of the IASS General Assembly, says: “Ernst Rietschel recognized the important role of the IASS in sustainability research in Germany and, with foresight and empathy, did much to advance the institute’s development.”
The success of the IASS owes much to Ernst Rietschel’s commitment to building and developing the institute. The firm foundations that he helped lay meant that, in 2023, the institute could carry its mission and mandate forward as RIFS within the Helmholtz Association. His foresight and wealth of experience made him a valued adviser, mentor and friend to the IASS/RIFS. To the very end, he accompanied, advised and shaped us – respectful of others and conciliatory, yet also decisive and dependable.
Ernst Rietschel has passed away at the age of 85. We will miss him. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
