Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Fatma Deniz Elected TU Berlin President, Unseating Geraldine Rauch

The Extended Academic Senate voted 42–18 for the university’s vice president for digitalization, whose four-year term begins April 1, 2026.

Overview

  • Deniz prevailed in a second ballot after three lower-polling candidates withdrew following last week’s first round.
  • A proposal to repeat candidate presentations and a Q&A at the decisive session was rejected before the vote.
  • In the first ballot, Deniz led with 30 votes, one short of an absolute majority in the 60-member Extended Academic Senate.
  • Deniz serves as vice president for digitalization and sustainability and is a computer science professor leading TU Berlin’s field on language and communication in biological and artificial systems.
  • Rauch, in office since 2022, drew heavy criticism in 2024 for liking an antisemitic post on X, a controversy widely cited in reporting as context for the leadership change.