What special memories do you have from your time at Freie Universität?

I remember how excited I was about the proximity of the Institute for Computer Science (where I studied) to the Zuse Institute Berlin. To me this meant that I had direct access to a place where the intellectual legacy of a landmark invention in my field was preserved.

What is the most important thing you learned here?

I learned about the importance of a strong and distinctive identity of a university, and why it is important as a student and academic to fully embrace this identity to help shape the present and future of society. For me that identity of Freie Universität Berlin was that of an institution that aims to bridge borders, first in a divided and then reunited country, and more recently in a diverging European Union.

What advice would you give your younger self today?

Work as a student assistant in a research group as early in your studies as possible.

If I could give my university a present for its 70th birthday…

...it would be a high-tech campus to attract the best talents in STEM subjects.