In order to ensure continuity in the leadership of the DPG, it is a good tradition to appoint a successor to the incumbent president more than a year before the end of his or her term of office, so that the designated person can be familiarized with the responsible work.

The election of a new executive board takes place every two years. In April 2026, Riel will take over from incumbent president Klaus Richter, who cannot be re-elected according to the articles of association. Like his predecessor, Richter will then assume the office of vice president for two years.

Riel initially completed an apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker before studying physics at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg. After an internship at the Hewlett-Packard Research Laboratory in Palo Alto, she joined IBM Research in Zurich as a doctoral student in 1998. She carried out her doctoral thesis on the optimization of multilayer organic light-emitting devices in collaboration with IBM Research at the University of Bayreuth. After completing her doctorate, she became a research associate at IBM Research, and in 2008 became head of the research group for material integration and nanoscale devices. One of the highlights was the development of quantum devices for use in quantum computers. In 2010, she also obtained an MBA from Henley Business School.

She has received numerous awards for her scientific and technical achievements. In 2012, for example, she was awarded the prize for “Technical or Scientific Innovation” by the Swiss Association of Women Engineers. Riel has been chair of the scientific advisory council of Forschungszentrum Jülich since 2013, was elected to the German Academy of Natural Scientists in 2015 and was named a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2020.

Further reading: “We aim to provide quantum-centric supercomputing” – during “World of Quantum”, Heike Riel of IBM Research revealed details of the company’s quantum development roadmap, PhotonicsViews 20(5), pp. 28-29, first published: 17 October 2023