On 18 July 2025, the General Assembly of the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin elected Christoph M?llers, Professor of Public Law and Philosophy of Law at Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin, as the new Rector of the Wissenschaftskolleg in agreement with the Board of Trustees of the Ernst Reuter Science Foundation. He is expected to take over the office on 1 September 2026 from historian Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger, who will remain associated with the Wissenschaftskolleg as a Permanent Fellow. The Wissenschaftskolleg considers itself fortunate to have gained in Christoph M?llers a scholar of international renown far beyond his discipline who also enjoys a high reputation among the broader public.
About the person
Christoph M?llers studied law, philosophy and comparative literature in Tübingen, Madrid and Munich, where he gained his doctorate in 1999. He completed his habilitation in Heidelberg in 2004. In addition to his highly acclaimed books Staat als Argument (Munich 2000), Die M?glichkeit der Normen (Berlin 2015) and Freiheitsgrad. Elemente einer liberalen politischen Mechanik (Berlin 2020) and the recently published collection of essays on democracy and the division of powers (Berlin 2025), he has published a large number of other monographs, anthologies and essays.
M?llers' observations and theses on the diversity, complexity and hybridity of normative practices have been recognised by experts, as has his theory of degrees of freedom, which defends political freedom, especially in the face of recent challenges such as right-wing populism, the pandemic and climate change. His concept of the separation of powers, which is not subject to any rules of precedence but primarily serves to balance two legitimisation claims: the claim to individual freedom and the claim to democratic self-determination, has also received particular and widespread attention. His statements on topics such as artistic and academic freedom made M?llers known to a wide audience.
He has been awarded the DFG's Leibniz Prize, the Schader Prize and the Tractatus Prize and is a member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the German Academy for Language and Poetry. In the 2006/2007 academic year, he was a Fellow of the Wissenschaftskolleg, which also appointed him as a Permanent Fellow in 2012. As a litigator before the Federal Constitutional Court, Christoph M?llers has repeatedly represented the Bundestag, the Bundesrat and the Federal Government.
About the Wissenschaftskolleg
The Wissenschaftskolleg is a world-renowned Institute for Advanced Study that offers both internationally recognised and promising young academics the opportunity to concentrate on a research project of their own choice for one academic year, free of obligations. In consultation with the Permanent Fellows, the Rector determines the academic work of the Centre, manages the selection process for Fellows and conducts the day-to-day business.