Please introduce yourself including your position at the museum.
My name is Nadia Fröbisch, I am a cross-appointed professor at the MfN and the Department of Biology at Humboldt-Universität. My research focuses on the evolution and development of vertebrates, especially amphibians.
What is your role in shaping the Future Plan?
I am part of the lead team of the "Dynamics of Nature" science programme and, together with two colleagues, I am a so-called "cluster lead" for the research cluster "Vertebrate Embryology and Evolution". Moreover, I am also involved in the plans for the Science Campus.
What opportunities do you see in the implementation of the Future Plan for the museum and for society?
The collections of the MfN hold a great, thus far untapped potential. I see a great chance in making this enormous resource accessible and interlink it with scientific data in a way that this natural and cultural treasure trough is accessible for scientists all around the world – without travelling to Berlin. This resource will inspire research questions and new technologies from various fields of which some we can adumbrate already while others will certainly come as a surprise. From this you can see already that this project will generate and enormous value for science and society, which will benefit in many different ways.
Please describe your vision for the museum in the year 2030.
I imagine myself being a researcher in the Science Campus, which together with Humboldt-Universität and other partners has become an international science hub in Berlin-Mitte. It has become a lively place of science, both with respect to the scientific excellence as well as the personal interactions. Thereby the Science Campus has become the place where science and society naturally meet and where a new generation of scientists learn and research in world renown programs and with novel perspectives.
The interview was conducted by Dr. Gesine Steiner, press officer.
Date: 24 March 2021
Here you can find further interviews that were conducted as part of the Future Plan.