This publication presents, for the first time, an overview of the teaching activities at the University of Münster. The faculty portraits invite you to experience the conviction that university instruction is a key pillar of higher education. Under the guiding theme “Thinking About Economics as Relations”, the profile of the School of Business and Economics highlights how modern teaching in business and economics is shaped in Münster: interactive, practice-oriented, and closely connected to current societal developments.

Mit dieser Publikation bietet die Universität Münster erstmals einen Einblick in die Vielfalt der Lehre als das Fundament eines jeden Studiums. Die Fachbereichsportäts sind eine Einladung an alle, unsere Universität als einen Ort guter Lehre zu erleben und gemeinsam zu gestalten. Unter dem Leitgedanken „Wirtschaft in Zusammenhängen denken“ zeigt das Porträt, wie moderne Lehre am Fachbereich Wirtschaftswissenschaften in Münster gestaltet wird: interaktiv, praxisnah und eng mit aktuellen gesellschaftlichen Entwicklungen verknüpft.

Prof. Dr. Manfred Krafft has been appointed as a Data Editor at the Journal of Marketing (JM) — one of the most influential and widely read academic journals in the marketing discipline, published by the American Marketing Association (AMA). As a Data Editor, Prof. Krafft joins a select team of scholars supporting the journal's commitment to research transparency, data quality, and methodological rigor, ensuring that empirical work published in the JM meets the highest scientific standards. 

Prof. Dr. Manfred Krafft wurde zum Data Editor des Journal of Marketing (JM) ernannt – einer der einflussreichsten und meistgelesenen wissenschaftlichen Zeitschriften im Bereich Marketing, herausgegeben von der American Marketing Association (AMA). Als Data Editor gehört Prof. Krafft einem ausgewählten Team von Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern an, das die Zeitschrift in ihrem Anspruch auf Forschungstransparenz, Datenqualität und methodische Strenge unterstützt und sicherstellt, dass empirische Arbeiten im JM höchsten wissenschaftlichen Standards entsprechen.

Dr. Verena Monschang, former doctoral researcher and postdoctoral researcher at the Chair of Empirical Economics headed by Prof. Dr. Bernd Wilfling, has been appointed to the Junior Professorship “Statistics and Prediction in Economics” at Kiel University as of June 1, 2026.

Dr. Verena Monschang, ehemalige Doktorandin und Postdoktorandin am Lehrstuhl für Volkswirtschaftslehre, insbesondere Empirische Wirtschaftsforschung unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Bernd Wilfling, wurde zum 1. Juni 2026 auf die Juniorprofessur „Statistik und Prädikation in den Wirtschaftswissenschaften“ an der Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel berufen.

From June 15 to 17, several members of the Department of Information Systems participated in the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS) 2026 in Milan. Under the conference theme “Reimagining Digital Technology for Business, Management, and Society”, they presented their current research on topics such as digital sustainability, artificial intelligence, process mining, human-AI collaboration, and digital transformation.

In total, the department was represented with eight papers:

• Navigating The Twin Transition: A Paradox Perspective On Concurrent Digital and Sustainability Change – Daria Stumkat, Jan Stockhinger
• Actor-Networks In Corporate Digital Sustainability Initiatives – David Stanlein, Lea Püchel, Enni Juntunen, Tobias Brandt
• Non-Profits Digital Transformation: Understanding Organisational Identity Dynamics – Maria Julia Torres, Lea Püchel, Markus P. Zimmer, Tobias Brandt
• Unpacking The Role Of Individuals In Process Mining: A Literature Review and Research Framework – Julian Dyong, Sandro Franzoi, Jan vom Brocke
• Schnitzel-Prediction: Designing Human-AI Collaboration For Cafeteria Demand Forecasting – Justus Cappel, Timo Strohmann, Mara Burger, Dr. Marleen Voß, Jan vom Brocke
• How Generative AI Drives Field-Level Change In Management Consulting – Robin Killewald, Thomas Haskamp
• When We Cannot Stop The Data Flow: The Emotional Life Of Data In A Children’s Daycare Center – Lea Püchel, Tobias Brandt
• The AI-Enabled Circular Economy: Extracting and Synthesizing Design Knowledge – Linda Sagnier Eckert, Christoph Hoppe, Timo Strohmann, Anne Ixmeier, Daniel Heinz

In addition, Shariga Sivanathan moderated the panel “Pathways to a Resilient IS Community: Are We There Yet?”

Particularly noteworthy were the awards received by Miriam Herding and Jan Stockhinger as Best Reviewers, as well as Lea Püchel as Best Associate Editor.

Members of the department were also actively involved in the conference organization: Jan vom Brocke served as Conference Co-Chair, Lea Püchel contributed to the ECIS Sustainability Initiative, and Katrin Bergener supported the conference as Social Media Communication Co-Chair.

Beyond the academic exchange, ECIS 2026 also offered numerous networking opportunities, including the traditional ERCIS@ECIS reception.

The 38 new students gathered at the beginning of the programme at the Große Ledder seminar and conference hotel in Wermelskirchen to spend their first days of study together with the programme directors, Prof. Dr. Peter Kajüter (University of Münster) and Prof. Dr. Martin Nienhaus (RUB), as well as the ASBM team, in the picturesque Bergisches Land region. The first day focused on getting to know one another: with great team spirit and enthusiasm, the students worked together to solve complex construction tasks and puzzles, among other activities. A particular highlight was the evening discussion round with experts from professional practice.

On 11 and 12 June 2026, the Institute of Public Economics once again held its Brussels Seminar under the direction of Prof. Dr. Johannes Becker. Following its successful premiere last year, 18 bachelor students once again travelled to the political centre of Europe.

Am 11. und 12. Juni 2026 fand erneut das Brüssel-Seminar des Instituts für Finanzwissenschaft unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Johannes Becker statt. Nach seiner erfolgreichen Premiere im vergangenen Jahr reisten auch in diesem Jahr 18 Bachelorstudierende in das politische Zentrum Europas.

Die 38 neuen Studierenden kamen zum Auftakt im Seminar- und Tagungshotel Große Ledder in Wermelskirchen zusammen, um gemeinsam mit den Studiengangleitern Prof. Dr. Peter Kajüter (Universität Münster) und Prof. Dr. Martin Nienhaus (RUB) sowie dem ASBM-Team die ersten Studientage im malerischen Bergischen Land zu verbringen. Der erste Tag stand ganz im Zeichen des Kennenlernens: Mit viel Teamgeist und Spaß wurden u. a. komplexe Konstruktionsaufgaben und Rätsel gelöst. Ein besonderes Highlight war die abendliche Diskussionsrunde mit Expert:innen aus der Praxis.

Family and friends, current and former colleagues, staff and students gathered at the Fürstenberghaus on 19 June 2026 for the inaugural lecture by Honorary Professor Dr Christian Böing. Following a welcome address by Dean Prof. Dr Thomas Langer, Prof. Dr Manfred Krafft delivered the laudatory speech, in which he described Christian Böing as a “positive role model for young people”. Böing then shared insights into ten exciting years of Marketing Analytics @SBE and expressed his gratitude to his family, colleagues and the School.

Familie und Freund:innen, aktuelle und ehemalige Kolleg:innen, Mitarbeitende und Studierende kamen am 19. Juni 2026 zur Antrittsvorlesung von Honorarprofessor Dr. Christian Böing ins Fürstenberghaus. Auf die Begrüßung durch Dekan Prof. Dr. Thomas Langer folgte Laudator Prof. Dr. Manfred Krafft, der Christian Böing attestierte, ein "positives Vorbild für junge Menschen" zu sein. Dieser gab anschließend Einblicke in zehn spannende Jahre Marketing Analytics @FB4 und bedankte sich bei Familie, Weggefährten und Fachbereich.

To support the development of high-resolution global biomass maps, the AI4Forest project has been granted access to the computing resources of JUPITER at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Europe’s first exascale supercomputer. In total, the project will have access to 120,000 GPU hours, which will be used to process large volumes of Earth observation data.

AI4Forest is a German-French research cooperation that investigates how cutting-edge artificial intelligence methods can help to better understand, monitor, and respond to the stresses on forest ecosystems caused by climate change. The project is coordinated by Philippe Ciais (Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, Université Paris), Alexandre d’Aspremont (Department of Computer Science, École Normale Supérieure), Fabian Gieseke (Department of Information Systems, University of Münster), Sebastian Pokutta (Zuse Institute Berlin), and Cornelius Senf (Earth Observation for Ecosystem Management, Technical University of Munich).

The goal of the proposal for computing resources is to create a global aboveground biomass (AGB) map that builds on the research group’s previous work: ECHOSAT; European satellites (Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2); Japanese satellites (ALOS Palsar-2); American sensors (GEDI); and German satellites (Tandem-X DEM).

Above-ground biomass comprises the plant biomass above the soil surface. AI4Forest focuses in particular on trees, as they store large amounts of CO₂ and are simultaneously increasingly exposed to various threats such as drought, heat, fires, or pest infestations.

Traditionally, biomass has been primarily measured or estimated through on-site field surveys. AI4Forest aims to improve such estimates on a global scale using satellite data and artificial intelligence, and to make them available more efficiently.

Creating such maps requires a great deal of computational power. Access to high-performance computing resources is crucial for processing large amounts of data and training complex AI models. The research group is especially pleased to be able to rely on JUPITER for this work.

Links related to this news

AI4Forest

Supercomputer JUPITER

On May 29, 2026, Business Contacts once again opened its doors, bringing together students and companies from the region as well as from across Germany at the Oeconomicum of the University of Münster. The career fair offered numerous opportunities for personal conversations, career orientation, and the establishment of valuable professional connections for the future. More than 40 companies introduced themselves to visitors and provided information about internships, working student positions, trainee programs, as well as entry-level and career opportunities. The event focused particularly on direct interaction, which was actively embraced by both students and company representatives.

Am 29. Mai 2026 öffnete die Business Contacts erneut ihre Türen und brachte im Oeconomicum der Universität Münster Studierende und Unternehmen aus der Region sowie aus ganz Deutschland zusammen. Die Karrieremesse bot zahlreiche Möglichkeiten für persönliche Gespräche, berufliche Orientierung und den Aufbau wertvoller Kontakte für die Zukunft. Mehr als 40 Unternehmen präsentierten sich den Besucherinnen und Besuchern und informierten über Praktika, Werkstudierendentätigkeiten, Traineeprogramme sowie Einstiegs- und Karrieremöglichkeiten. Dabei stand insbesondere der direkte Austausch im Mittelpunkt.

As part of the 11th Tech-Kalinen Meetup, titled “From idea to career: Women in STEM share their journeys,” three different career paths in STEM fields were presented. The goal of the event was to highlight the diversity of career opportunities in STEM and to shed light on both the differences and similarities among these career paths.

The event was organized by the Tech-Kalinen network together with the Women+ in Information Systems initiative at the Department of Information Systems at the University of Münster. The student initiative Women do IT from Department 10 (Mathematics and Computer Science) also presented itself

Among the speakers were Dr. Beate Rottkemper (Head of Sustainability Management, UKM), as well as Dr. Lena Clever and Dr. Fumi Kurihara from the Department of Information Systems. They shared personal insights into their career paths in research, teaching, and industry, and reflected on key experiences, challenges, and pivotal moments. It became clear that career paths are rarely linear and that openness to new opportunities often leads to unexpected possibilities.

Key takeaways from the evening included the importance of individual career paths as well as the insight that technological innovation and societal impact are not mutually exclusive.

The Tech-Kalinen network connects women in tech professions in the Münsterland region, fostering exchange and increasing the visibility of women in tech as role models and contacts for early-career talent. The network focuses on current topics in the digital and technology sectors and discusses approaches to addressing the lack of diversity in the field.

From June 8 to 10, the 21st International Conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems and Technology (DESRIST) took place at Münster Castle. For three days, the conference featured engaging workshops, inspiring paper sessions, and intensive exchange within the international research community.

Under the theme “Design for better futures. Beyond the science of the artificial.”, participants discussed how design science can go beyond the purely artificial to contribute to a vibrant, sustainable, and responsible future. This year’s conference aimed to expand the boundaries of what design science is and what it could become. In doing so, it created space for new ways of thinking, knowing, and creating that are as adaptive, entangled, and generative as the challenges we face..

The conference theme closely aligns with one of the key research areas of the Department of Information Systems. This is reflected in projects such as the Flow Factory, where responsible AI innovations are developed and put into practice.

During the Conference Dinner at A2 am Aasee, Prof. Jan vom Brocke was honored with the Design Science Research Lifetime Achievement Award. Since 2007, this award has been presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to research and the scientific community.

During the ceremony, laudator Prof. Samir Chatterjee from Claremont Graduate University praised Jan vom Brocke's significant scientific achievements, highlighting in particular his dedication to the community: "Jan has brought people together across institutions, countries, and disciplines (...) and created an environment where ideas can flourish and researchers feel welcome and supported." 

Award recipient Jan vom Brocke expressed his honor and gratitude to be part of such a "wonderful community": "Design Science has always been so close to my heart, as it provides the opportunity to conduct research of value to society." 

This year’s conference was organized by the Department of Information Systems led by Jan vom Brocke, Timo Strohmann, Hans Näscher, Fumi Kurihara, Armin Stein, Katrin Bergener, and Lea Kleinekathöfer, with the support of numerous additional contributors who contributed to the event’s success.

 Jan vom Brocke (right) with laudator Samir Chatterjee (Photo: Julian Meyer).

Prof. Dr. Jan vom Brocke, Direktor des Instituts für Wirtschaftsinformatik und des European Research Centers for Information Systems (ERCIS), ist mit dem Design Science Research Lifetime Achievement Award ausgezeichnet worden. Der Preis wird seit 2007 an Persönlichkeiten vergeben, die herausragende Beiträge für die Forschung und die wissenschaftliche Community leisten.