“The members of the Board of Trustees are delighted that we have been able to secure the services of Prof. Dr. Katja Koch, an outstanding colleague, for the position of president,” announced Prof. Dr. Olaf Köller, Chair of the Board of Trustees, following the decision. “Dr. Koch brings many years of experience in university administration, and with her, the University of Hildesheim gains a president who is exceptionally well-versed in Lower Saxony’s academic system and who will drive the university’s further development.”

The selection committee had recommended Koch for election following a structured selection process in accordance with the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act. During a public hearing at the university, she introduced herself to the university community and presented her vision for the university’s strategic development.

“I am very pleased and deeply grateful to have been elected president of the University of Hildesheim”—with these words, Koch responded to the positive outcome of the selection process. “I see the trust placed in me as a mandate to further develop the university as a place of the future and to jointly shape an institution that thinks critically ahead, helps shape societal change, and opens up spaces for new possibilities.” As a place of the future, the University of Hildesheim combines education, culture, and the use of artificial intelligence as key drivers of future research, evolves from a place of learning into a place of creation, actively involves students in the upcoming transformation processes, and opens itself up to society, according to Koch. “I look forward to shaping this path together with all members of the university in a committed, open, and responsible manner!”

Koch’s academic research focuses on empirical educational research, in the areas of multilingualism and heterogeneity, as well as on the further development of teacher education. She thus brings a profile that aligns particularly well with the central themes of the University of Hildesheim.

Prof. Dr. Katja Koch is expected to take office as President of the University of Hildesheim Foundation on January 1, 2027, for an initial term of six years, following the completion of the remaining formal steps. Koch will thus succeed Prof. Dr. May-Britt Kallenrode, whose term ends on December 30, 2026, as scheduled. 

About the Candidate 

Prof. Dr. Katja Koch is an empirical education researcher specializing in teacher education. She studied to become a high school teacher in history and German at Philipps University of Marburg, where she earned her doctorate in 2001. In 2008, she completed her habilitation at Georg-August University in Göttingen, where Koch had been working as a research assistant in the Department of Education since 2002. In 2010, she accepted a professorship at the Technical University of Braunschweig and served as Dean of Academic Affairs starting in 2013 and as Vice President from 2018 through March 2026, overseeing areas including knowledge transfer, teacher education, and organizational development. In her research, Koch examines the issue of the fit between the individual and the institution and the resulting pedagogical challenges. In terms of education policy, she advocates for research-intensive, sustainable, and critical teacher education.