On December 5, 2023, the Faculty of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Mathematics bid farewell to its former Dean, Prof. Dr. Gregor Engels, on his retirement with a festive colloquium. The computer scientist worked for some time as a university assistant at various universities in Germany before accepting a professorship at the Paderborn University in 1997 in the field of database and information systems. In addition to his work as Chairman of the Board of the Software Innovation Lab (SICP) at Paderborn University, he has been Scientific Director of Capgemini AG in Munich since 2005 and Chairman of the Board of the Cooperative Computing & Communication Laboratory at Paderborn University since 2012. Numerous guests, including many professors of the faculty and the former president of the university Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Risch as well as former doctoral students of Prof. Engels, accepted the invitation of the faculty to the farewell ceremony.
In the speech by Prof. Dr. René Fahr, who spoke as a member of the Executive Board, Prof. Dr. Gregor Engels' outstanding contributions were recognized. He emphasized Engels' influence in computer science, his international presence at "informatics europe" and his promotion of interdisciplinarity through a wide range of collaborations. With the quote "If you don't run away from you fast enough, you'll just get promoted", Prof. Dr. Fahr underlined the supportive nature of the honoree. Engel's openness to ask unpleasant questions created opportunities in the university discourse. In concluding remarks, he praised him as a formative researcher and valuable member of Paderborn University.
In his speech, the Dean, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Klüners, paid tribute to the long-standing acquaintance with Prof. Dr. Gregor Engels, which began during their many years in the Senate. Prof. Dr. Klüners emphasized that he had learned a lot about the transfer of knowledge and contact with industry through him.
Prof. Dr. Eric Bodden, member of the board of the Heinz Nixdorf Institute, director at the Fraunhofer IEM and head of the computer science department, described Engels as a "renowned international scientist" and once again emphasized his position as a so-called "foreign minister" who always cultivated contacts in the business world.
Finally, Prof. Dr. Gregor Engels himself spoke a few words in which he mentioned many people who were important to him and his career. He emphasized that he had changed many things and added that this would never have been possible without the help of Dr. Michael Laska and Prof. Dr. Stefan Sauer. Engels also mentioned his collaboration with Prof. Dr. Eckhard Steffen, with whom he had jointly created and established the NRW Research College Work 4.0. He concluded by noting that this event was not a farewell, but rather a transformation, as he would not stop remaining active despite his retirement. He thanked all the guests once again.
