The appointment was made on the joint recommendation of the German Research Foundation, the Max Planck Society, the German Rectors' Conference, the Helmholtz Association, the Fraunhofer Society and the Leibniz Association. From 1 February 2021, the expert for Industry 4.0 and the optimization of production and logistics systems will advise the federal and state governments on issues relating to the development of the science and higher education system and on science policy decision-making processes.

The German Council of Science and Humanities is the most important science policy advisory body in Germany. The Scientific Commission of the German Council of Science and Humanities has 32 members, who each contribute their scientific excellence, science policy expertise and experience to the work of the body as neutral advisors for a period of three years.

"Being appointed to the Science Council is a special honor and a task that I am very much looking forward to. I would like to work to promote Germany as a science location with a particular focus on the topics of digitalization and sustainability," says Professor Julia Arlinghaus.

The 38-year-old researcher studied industrial engineering at the University of Bremen and completed her doctorate in supply chain management at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, in 2011. After successful positions as a consultant for operational excellence and lean management at Porsche Consulting and professor for the optimization of production and logistics networks at Jacobs University Bremen, she became Chair of Management for Industry 4.0 at RWTH Aachen University in 2017. In 2019, she accepted an appointment at the University of Magdeburg and, at the age of 36, became the youngest head of a Fraunhofer Institute to date. Professor Julia Arlinghaus' research focuses on the holistic design of production and logistics systems, factory automation and the planning of digital transformation processes for industry.