On 1 June 2023, Professor Dr Benjamin Stich was inducted into his new post in Groß Lüsewitz (near the port city of Rostock). During a ceremony, JKI-President Frank Ordon introduced the new head of institute to the staff at the JKI's northern site. Stich moves to the JKI from the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, where he was most recently a W3 professor in CEPLAS, the Center of Excellence on Plant Sciences.
He succeeds Dr Peter Wehling, who retired in February 2022. It is planned that Stich will also teach as a professor at the University of Rostock in parallel to heading the JKI institute. Therefore, Prof. Dr. Ralf Uptmoor, Head of the Department of Crop Production at the University of Rostock, was also present at the inauguration to welcome Benjamin Stich.