Johann-Dietrich “Jan” Wörner is President of Germany’s National Academy of Science and Engineering. From 2015-2021, he was Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA). He chaired the Executive Board of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) from 2007 to 2015, and served as President of TU Darmstadt from 1995 to 2007. A civil engineer by training, Jan Wörner was previously Professor, Head of the Test Research Institute, and then Dean of Civil Engineering at TU Darmstadt.
Jan Wörner holds numerous awards, including honorary degrees from the State University of New York, Technical University of Molodova, Politehnuca Univeristy of Bucharest, Saint Petersburg State University of Economics, École Centrale de Lyon, and Mongolian Technical University. He has received the Federal Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Grand Cross 1st class) and is a Knight of the French Légion d’Honneur.