WHY GERMAN UDS
The education framework of the future
Imagine a university experience that goes beyond the professors and peer community of a traditional college. Imagine flexibility, convenience and being able to learn from anywhere, as part of a global community. This is what German UDS is all about.
STUDY PROGRAMS
One-year MBA Programs
Two-year Master's Programs
Bachelor Program
OUR MISSION
Global education for all, in a fully virtual university
German UDS is next-generation learning without borders. We’re a global community of thought leaders and academic innovators, changing the face of digital education and strengthening bonds with businesses in all sectors. We offer lifelong learning in the digital age, through world-class degrees in scalable and globally available formats.
OUR STRENGTH
We connect future digital thinkers to the best companies through disruptive learning
A new gateway to the future of digital
Our partners and investors have a unique opportunity to shape tomorrow’s leaders and visionaries. Let’s transform the digital landscape, with a challenge-based learning approach that redefines global, interdisciplinary research.
Transforming higher education
At German UDS we're rewriting the rules of learning. We integrate cutting-edge technology with practical skills and a dynamic, digital-first outlook.
Sustainability through remote learning
Reduce your carbon footprint through remote learning, and embrace inclusivity. German UDS is also a digital stepping stone to students of all means worldwide. We’re reducing financial barriers to a world-renowned German qualification.
Invest in future thinkers
Your support creates tomorrow's innovators. Believe in a diverse community dedicated to progressive change in the digital industry. We’re evolving an education system that helps people navigate this new world and become tomorrow’s digital thought leaders.
GET INVOLVED
Be part of the higher education (r)evolution
Invest with us and play a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of digital pioneers.
Founders
Prof. Dr. Mike Friedrichsen
Founding President
Mike Friedrichsen is a pioneer in the age of digitalization and already founded companies with a focus on Internet & e-commerce in the early nineties. Prof. Dr. Mike Friedrichsen has been a full professor at various state universities for over 25 years. Most recently he was tenured Professor of Business Informatics and Digital Media (focus on Digital Economy & Innovation) at the HdM Stuttgart. Since 2023 he is Founder and Founding President of the German University of Digital Science and Chairman of the Management Board of the German UDS Foundation. In addition to his academic activities, he has always been active as an entrepreneur, including founding various startup companies. Likewise, he is active in the non-profit sector and volunteering. He also founded the German Digital Science Foundation, which aims to specifically support innovative digital education projects. In addition, he regularly holds various guest lectureships and teaching positions at international universities worldwide. Prof. Dr. Friedrichsen is the author of numerous books and professional articles (national and international) and gives keynotes and lectures at all relevant congresses and conferences as well as at corporate events.
Prof. Dr. Christoph Meinel
Founding President
Christoph Meinel is one of the two founders of the fully digital German University of Digital Science. From 2004 to 2023, he was executive director and CEO of the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Engineering (HPI) at the University of Potsdam. He is an emeritus full professor (C4) of computer science at the University of Potsdam and holds a chair in Internet Technologies and Systems at HPI. From 2017 to 2021, he was the founding dean of the Digital Engineering Faculty at the University of Potsdam. He is a member of the Academy of Science and Engineering acatech, Member of the Board of Governors of the Technion and Chairman of the MINT Initiative “MINT Zukunft schaffen“. From 2007 to 23 he was program director of the HPI-Stanford Design Thinking Program. Christoph Meinel is the author or co-author of numerous books, anthologies, studies and scientific publications in numerous scientific conferences and journals. In the course of his longstanding research activity in the field of Digital Science and Engineering, Christoph Meinel has achieved significant results and published in the areas of: Complexity Theory – Internet and Web Technology – Cybersecurity – Artificial Intelligence and Digital Education. With his teams, Christoph Meinel has developed numerous large IT systems in the area of digital education. These include first and foremost the first European MOOC platform openHPI.de and the learning management system ScalEd.
Advisory Board
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Prömel
Advisory Board Member
After completing his Abitur at the Humanistic Gymnasium in Emmerich, he studied Mathematics and Economics at the University of Bielefeld from 1974 to 1979, where he earned his doctorate (Dr. math.) in 1982. From 1984 to 1985, he served as an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1988, he accepted a full professorship in Discrete Mathematics at the University of Bonn, and in 1994, he moved to the Chair of Algorithms and Complexity at Humboldt University in Berlin, where he was Vice President for Research from 2000 to 2007 and acting President in 2005. In 2007, he was elected President of the Technical University of Darmstadt, starting his term on October 1, 2007, and was reappointed for a second term until 2019. In February 2021, he became the founding president of the newly established Technical University of Nuremberg, a position he held until April 2024. Since July of this year, he has been serving as the interim President of the University of Music, Drama, and Media in Hanover. His main research areas include combinatorics and graph theory, with a focus on applying probabilistic methods and discrete optimization algorithms in mathematics, computer science, and engineering.
Prof. Dr. Carlos Delgado Kloos
Advisory Board Member
He is a Full Professor of Telematics Engineering and the Rector’s Delegate for Digital Microcredentials at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. He holds Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from Technische Universität München and in Telecommunications Engineering from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. He directs the GAST research group and the UNESCO Chair on "Scalable Digital Education for All." His career includes roles such as Vice Rector for Strategy and Digital Education, and research stays at top universities like Harvard and MIT. With over 500 publications, he focuses on Educational Technology, has led MOOCs reaching 650,000+ registrations, and promotes digital micro-credentials in Spain through CertiDigital.
Prof. Dr. Mamokgethi Phakeng
Advisory Board Member
She is a distinguished academic and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, Africa's top-ranked university, where she served until her early retirement in March of this year. With over 20 years of executive leadership experience in higher education, Dr. Phakeng holds a PhD in Mathematics Education from the University of the Witwatersrand, alongside honorary doctorates from the University of Bristol (DSc, 2019) and the University of Ottawa (DEd, 2022). Her extensive contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including South Africa's Order of the Baobab (Silver, 2016), recognition as Africa's most influential female academic (2014), and inclusion in Forbes' 50 Most Powerful Women in Africa (2020). In 2022, she received the inaugural Africa Education Medal and in 2023, the Global Lifetime Achievement Award by Women in STEM. Dr. Phakeng founded the Adopt-a-Learner Foundation in 2004 to support underprivileged South African students in accessing higher education. As Vice-Chancellor, she donated a portion of her salary and public speaking fees to scholarship funds at UCT. Following her retirement, she joined the Presidential Advisory Council on National Orders and currently engages in business ventures across media, agriculture, and consulting.
Prof. Dr. Kristina Sinemus
Advisory Board Member
She served as Hessian’s first Minister for Digital Strategy and Innovation from 2019 to 2023, leading efforts in digitalization and technology-driven growth. She founded and managed the consulting firm Genius, a spin-off from the Technical University of Darmstadt, focusing on communication strategies at the intersection of science, business, and society. Appointed in 2011, she is also a Professor of Public Affairs at Quadriga University in Berlin, though her professorship is currently suspended. Prof. Sinemus made history as the first female Vice President (2009) and President (2014) of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Hesse. She studied Communication Science, Education, Biology, and Chemistry, earning her Ph.D. from the Technical University of Darmstadt in 1995. Born in Darmstadt, "the city of science," she grew up in Northern Hesse's Waldecker Land.
Prof. Dr. Johanna Wanka
Advisory Board Member
She is a distinguished German mathematician and former CDU politician who significantly impacted Germany's education and research policies. She earned her doctorate in mathematics from the University of Leipzig, specializing in engineering mathematics, and later became a professor at the Merseburg University of Applied Sciences, where she also served as the Rector from 1994 to 2000. Dr. Wanka's political career includes serving as the Minister of Science, Research, and Culture in Brandenburg (2000–2009) and the Minister of Science and Culture in Lower Saxony (2010–2013), where she championed the modernization of universities and research institutions. As Germany's Federal Minister of Education and Research (2013–2018), she played a pivotal role in initiatives like the "Digital Pact for Schools," which aimed to enhance digital infrastructure in education, and increased funding for scientific research. Her tenure was marked by efforts to advance Germany's position in innovation, support STEM education, and promote collaboration between academia and industry.
Matthew Rascoff
Advisory Board Member
Matthew joined Stanford in 2021 to establish and lead the Digital Education team, following his role as Associate Vice Provost for Digital Education and Innovation at Duke University (2017–2021). He previously served as Vice President and founder of the Office of Learning Technology & Innovation for the University of North Carolina system (2014–2017). His career includes launching JSTOR’s first international office in Berlin, leading product teams at Wireless Generation, and contributing to the strategy group at ITHAKA. He has also worked at Google on the Book Search operations team. Matthew holds an undergraduate degree from Columbia University, did graduate work at Bogazici University as a Fulbright Scholar, and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. He was a German Marshall Memorial Fellow in 2013 and is married to historian Emily J. Levine, with whom he has two children, Jasper and Florence.
Dr. Mohammad Al-Smadi
Advisory Board Member
He is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and founding director of the Office for Digital Learning and Online Education at Qatar University, with a Master’s in Computer Science from the University of Jordan and a Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences from Graz University of Technology. He has over 15 years of experience in higher education, previously serving at the Jordan University of Science and Technology, where he was Assistant Dean for Accreditation and Education Quality Improvement and founded the Center for e-Learning. His research in Technology-Enhanced Learning, Natural Language Processing, Human-Computer Interaction, and Social Computing has led to over 75 published papers and involvement in significant research projects. Dr. Al-Smadi has also played a crucial role in integrating online learning into higher education and developing Jordan's K-12 Digital Skills Curriculum Framework.
Prof. Dr. Agathe Merceron
Advisory Board Member
She is Professor Emerita of Computer Science at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (BHT), where she taught courses in algorithms, programming, machine learning, and green information technology. She led the online degree programs in Media Informatics from 2008 to 2022 and chaired the program board for Media Informatics at the Virtual University of Applied Sciences (VFH) from 2021 to 2022. Her research focuses on Technology Enhanced Learning, with a particular interest in Educational Data Mining and Learning Analytics. Dr. Agathe has held key roles in organizing major conferences such as EDM (2010, 2019), LAK (2015, 2018), and RKDE (2023, 2024). She has served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Educational Data Mining and was its Editor from 2022 to July 2024.
Prof. Michael Rotert
Advisory Board Member
He is a pioneer in the German Internet industry, with a background in business science and informatics from the University of Karlsruhe. He played a crucial role in establishing Germany's first university Internet connection in 1985 and later founded Xlink, one of the country's earliest Internet service providers. Rotert’s leadership roles include serving as Executive Director at multiple ISPs, Senior Vice-President of KPNQWest, and from 2000 to 2017, Chairman of eco (Association of the Internet Industry in Germany). He has also held key positions at EuroISPA and was an industrial speaker for the G8 Cybercrime group. Named an Honorary Professor in informatics in 1999, he taught at the University of Karlsruhe from 1981 to 2016. An Internet advocate, he has advised the EU, UN, and U.S. Department of Commerce, and co-founded ISOC (Internet Society) in 1991.
Prof. Dr. Lorenzo Valle Garcilazo
Advisory Board Member
He is a seasoned Information Technology executive and professor at TEC de Monterrey, with recent teaching roles at the Hasso Plattner Institute's Digital Health Cluster (since 2022). For over 24 years, he has contributed to entrepreneurial, educational, and digital transformation projects across the public and private sectors in Mexico and Latin America. Notable initiatives include developing the Virtual University System at TEC de Monterrey, the Enlaces project for basic education in Chile, and the CENAPAD high-performance computing project in Brazil. He also played a key role in shaping the TEC21 Educational Model (2019) and the Integrator Program for Industrial Engineering graduates (2022).
Researchers
Prof. Dr. Raúl Rojas
Vice President for Research and Scientific Cooperation
Dr. Thomas Staubitz
Senior Researcher
Dr. Julia von Thienen
Project Lead (EU-Projects)
Dr. Fabrizio Palmas
Senior Researcher
Dr. Felix Weitkämper
Senior Researcher
Dr. Maurice Steinhoff
Lecturer
Dr. Pejman Najafi
Senior Researcher
Dr. Pejman Najafi is a senior researcher at Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI). He holds an M.Sc. in Information Security from University College London, UK, and a Ph.D. in Cybersecurity from the University of Potsdam, Germany. With a strong academic background and extensive industry experience, including security consulting roles for companies such as Shell, SAP, and Deutsche Telekom, Dr. Najafi has established himself as an expert in cybersecurity. His research and work focus on enhancing Security Operations (SOCs) through the use of Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Dr. Georg Loscher
Senior Researcher
Prof. Dr. Dirk Draheim
Senior Researcher
Dr. Steven Ney
Senior Researcher
Team Members
Dr. Jan Renz
Chief Technical Officer
Lisa Mehrling
Head of People & Culture and Organizational Development
Susanne Tockan
Head of Media and Communication
Florian Frank
Project Lead (EU-Projects)
Yahya Narvil
IT & System Administrator
Rasitha Hewage
IT & System Administrator
Manisha Manaswini
Digital Project Manager
Partha Pratim Das
Project Manager
Nidhi Naveen
Student Assistant - Marketing
YOUR GERMAN UDS
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Enter Your German UDSOUR STORY
Learning with no boundaries
Founded by Professors Mike Friedrichsen and Christoph Meinel in Potsdam, Germany, the German University of Digital Science is a beacon of innovation.
Our non-profit digital university is the first of its kind in Europe. We are democratising education and shaping a digital world that upholds freedom, equality and excellence in learning.
Get to know us moreINTERNATIONAL CONNECTIVITY
D4B project redefines industry and academia
German UDS is a founding consortium partner in Digital4Business, a new European online master’s programme that bridges the gap between academia and industry. The €19.9m EU-funded project includes 15 international partners with a united goal — accelerating digital transformation all over Europe.
Learn more about D4BINTERNATIONAL CONNECTIVITY
Digital 4 Security
The Digital4Security is a new cybersecurity Master's program launching in October 2023, funded by the EU under the DIGITAL Europe program with a budget of €20 million. This pan-European initiative is designed by a Consortium of 35 Partners from 14 countries and aims to address the growing cybersecurity skills gap in Europe.
Learn more about D4S