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Management of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection

Portrait Dr. Inge Paulini Dr. Inge PauliniBfS-Präsidentin Dr. Inge Paulini

President of the BfS

Dr Inge Paulini has been President of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection since April 2017.

From 2009, she worked in the area of scientific policy advice as Secretary-General of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU). Before that, she worked at the German Environment Agency (UBA), where she was head of the Sustainability Strategy Department and the Fundamental Aspects Section, among other things.

After receiving a degree in home economics at the University of Bonn and a master of science in nutrition sciences at Washington State University, USA, Paulini completed a doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) in biology at the University of Hanover in 1991 and conducted experimental work at the Fraunhofer Institute of Toxicology and Aerosol Research ITA.

Dr. Paulini is a member of the advisory board of the PTB (National Metrology Institute of Germany) and of the Board of Directors of Stiftung Warentest (leading German consumer safety group).

Vice President

Portrait Dr. Florian Rauser Dr. Florian RauserBfS-Vizepräsident Dr. Florian Rauser

Dr Florian Rauser has been Vice-President of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection and permanent representative of the President since June 2019.

Dr Rauser holds a degree in physics and a doctorate in geosciences from the University of Hamburg. After studying at the Universities of Marburg and Brisbane, he first worked as a scientist and science manager for the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. Most recently, he was head of the Municipal Climate Protection Division at the Jülich Research Centre as project manager for the National Climate Initiative.

The focus areas of the vice president include quality, integrity, sustainability, research, and digitalisation. The staff unit "Quality, Integrity, Sustainability" (ST-QI) works directly under the vice president.

The technical divisions

Medical and Occupational Radiation Protection DivisionShow / Hide

portrait Prof. Brix Prof. Dr. Gunnar BrixProf. Dr. Gunnar Brix

Prof. Dr Gunnar Brix studied physics at the University of Karlsruhe. He then completed his doctorate and habilitation at the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg, where he worked on magnetic resonance imaging.

He is recognised as a medical physics expert by the German Society for Medical Physics (DGMP) and was president from 2003 to 2004. He has received five scientific prizes in recognition of his work.
Since 1998, Prof. Dr Brix has been a head of division at the Federal Office for Radiation Protection. In his scientific work, he takes an in-depth look at issues relating to radiation protection and risk in radiological and nuclear medical diagnostics. He also teaches as an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Medicine of LMU Munich.

Because of the varied and frequent applications of ionising radiation in the diagnostics and therapy of patients as well as in occupational activities, medical and occupational radiation protection are central tasks of the BfS. In the division, the two main tasks are handled in six specialist areas by an interdisciplinary team of scientific and technical employees.

Prof. Dr Brix values the close interlinking of enforcement and research activities that ensure the protection of patients and occupationally exposed persons and allow for continual adaptation to new developments.

Emergency Preparedness & Response DivisionShow / Hide

portrait Dr. Florian Gering Dr. Florian GeringDr. Florian Gering

Dr. Florian Gering leads the Emergency Preparedness & Response Division of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS). He was previously a scientific officer and head of section at BfS. He dealt with the radiological assessment of emergencies and the development and operation of the RODOS decision support system.

Dr. Gering completed his studies at the University of Innsbruck with a doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) in physics. He began his professional career in Munich at the Institute of Radiation Protection of Helmholtz Zentrum Munich.

The division performs various tasks in order to prepare the protection of the general population against radioactive radiation associated with radiological and nuclear emergencies. This includes

  • the development and operation the Integrated Measuring and Information System IMIS and the gamma dose monitoring network with more than 1700 monitoring stations,
  • the measurement of traces of atmospheric radioactivity in the air,
  • the development of 24/7-capabilities for radiological situation assessment,
  • the development and the operation of a task force for the defence against nuclear hazards.

Environmental Radioactivity DivisionShow / Hide

Portrait Dr. Udo Gerstmann Dr. Udo GerstmannDr. Udo Gerstmann Source: www.phinephoto-berlin.de

Dr. Udo Gerstmann studied chemistry at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), where he specialised in radiochemistry for his thesis and doctoral dissertation. He then worked as a researcher at Helmholtz Zentrum München in the area of radioecology as well as a specialist in nuclear waste management. He is particularly interested in the analysis of radioactive materials.

In 2010, he joined the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), where he led the working group on incorporation monitoring for nine years and represented this field at both the national and international level. In addition to these responsibilities, he has taught at the Technical University of Munich.

Since 2019, Dr. Gerstmann has been head of the Environmental Radioactivity Division in Berlin. The spectrum of tasks of the division concerns both artificial and natural radionuclides in the environment. It ranges from aspects on their origin and their spread in the environment to the determination of the radiation exposure of humans. In the division, several laboratories are responsible for the detection of radionuclides in various environmental samples, the detection of radiation fields, and the calibration of radon measuring instruments.

Although the immediate tasks of the division concern radioactivity in the environment, Dr. Gerstmann emphasises that this is primarily for the protection of humans.

Effects and Risks of Ionising and Non-Ionising Radiation DivisionShow / Hide

Portrait PD Dr. Michaela Kreuzer PD Dr. Michaela Kreuzer

Dr. Michaela Kreuzer is head of the Effects and Risks of Ionising and Non-Ionising Radiation (WR) division.

Dr. Michaela Kreuzer studied statistics at Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) of Munich. She then completed her doctorate and habilitation at the Medical Faculty of the LMU Munich in the subject of epidemiology.

After 10 years of scientific work as an epidemiologist at various scientific institutions, she came to the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) in 1998 and joined the working group on radiation epidemiology in the Department of Radiation Protection and Health. In 2007, she took over as head of the working group and of the German uranium miners cohort study, which was conducted by the BfS.

Since September 2016, Dr Kreuzer has been head of the Effects and Risks of Ionising and Non-Ionising Radiation Division at the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS). This is in addition to her teaching activities as a private lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine of LMU in Munich.
The Effects and Risks of Ionising and Non-Ionising Division bundles the tasks of biological dosimetry as well as the determination, assessment, and communication of the biological effects and health risks of ionising radiation (e.g. X-rays). The tasks involving non-ionising radiation (e.g. UV, light, mobile communications, and power grids) include the identification, assessment, and communication of the exposure, effect, and risk of this radiation as well as the derivation of recommendations for legal regulations.

It is particularly important to Ms. Kreuzer to provide understandable and technically sound information about radiation risks and associated uncertainties as well as to further develop concepts in order to protect humans from radiation.

President’s Department and Administration

President’s DepartmentShow / Hide

[BILD]neuhäuser

Mr Achim Neuhäuser has headed the President’s Department of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection since 1 April 2021. As head of Public Relations, he was entrusted with issues of science communication and external presentation of the BfS.

Mr Neuhäuser is a political scientist. After his studies at the Free University of Berlin, he worked in political communication and management consulting with a focus on future technologies and the energy industry at both the national and European level. Most recently, as a member of the management and authorised signatory of the Berliner Energieagentur, Mr Neuhäuser was in charge of renewable energy and energy efficiency as well as international business. He was responsible for numerous projects from the National Climate Initiative of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety as well as from the EU funding programme Horizon 2020.

The responsibilities of the President’s Department include planning, steering, and controlling as well as press and public relations work and national and international cooperation in radiation protection.

Central Office DivisionShow / Hide

portrait Martina Hagemann Martina HagemannMartina Hagemann

Ms Martina Hagemann has headed the Central Office Division of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection since 2021 and works as budget officer in parallel.

She has a degree in business administration. Following her studies at the University of Göttingen, she completed a trainee programme in the automotive supply industry. She then went on to gain experience in various commercial sectors before taking over the commercial management of a state office of Lower Saxony in 1997. In 2009, Ms Hagemann moved to the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, where she initially headed the Finance Unit and from 2016 to 2021 the Central Office Division. Because of the ever-growing variety of topics and the associated challenges in administration, the Central Office was reorganised in 2021 and the numerous tasks were divided between two divisions.

As an internal service provider of the BfS, the Central Office Division supports the technical divisions in ensuring the protection of humans and the environment against radiation. In addition to the classic administrative tasks such as budget, procurement, judicial office, construction, real estate, and internal service, the division is also responsible for coordinating administrative research.

As head of the division, Ms Hagemann is particularly concerned with supporting the further development of BfS into a modern agile authority (e.g. with flexible space concepts) and promoting the retention of expertise in radiation protection.

State of 2023.08.01

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