Prof. Johannes Vogel, born 1963, studied Biology at the University of Bielefeld and Cambridge University and holds a Ph.D. in Genetics of the University of Cambridge. From 1992 to 2012 he worked at the Natural History Museum in London, where he became director of the botanical department in 2004.
Since 2012 Prof. Johannes Vogel is Director General at the Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science Berlin and Professor for Biodiversity and Science Communication at Humboldt University Berlin. With a collection of more than 30 million objects, the museum is one of the world’s most relevant researching natural history museums and counts up to 800,000 visitors every year.
In his studies, Johannes Vogel focusses on the role of museums in science and society, open science and national and international science politics. He is one of the most dedicated supporters of public engagement with science. His vision is to create a dialogue between science and public and to empower active participation of the citizens – this, he regards as the most important part.
Johannes Vogel is chairman of European Citizen Science Association, chairman of Leibniz Research Alliance on Biodiversity, chairman of Falling Walls Engage and consults the EU Commission and German federal government.