Jens Reich 
Honorary Chair

Dr. Jens Reich was born in Göttingen in 1939. A molecular biologist and essayist, Jens Reich was one of the key figures in the civil rights movement of the GDR in the 80s. In September 1989 he was one of the signatories of the paper calling for the establishment of the “Neues Forum” grassroots movement whose activities led to the overthrow of the communist regime in East Germany and eventually to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In 1990, as leading candidate of “Neues Forum”, he was elected to the People's Chamber of the GDR.

After reunification, he returned to his academic career as molecular geneticist at the Max-Delbrück-Centre in Berlin, remaining politically active. In 1991 Jens Reich was a visiting professor at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University. 

He was a candidate in the election for President of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1994, which resulted in the appointment of Roman Herzog.

Jens Reich has been a member of the “German National Foundation”, as well as the German Ethics Council (2001-2012).

Today, Jens Reich is active as an ombudsman for the Max-Delbrück-Centre and helps researchers in conflict situations - the same position he held at the Charité University Hospital from 2001 onwards. He also teaches bioethics at Bard College Berlin.

Jens Reich studied medicine at the Humboldt University Berlin (1956-1962) and became an expert of molecular biology. He was professor of Bioinformatics at the Medical Faculty (Charité) of the Humboldt University in Berlin from 1998 to 2004.

Publications (selection of non-professional publications):

Es wird ein Mensch gemacht. Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Gentechnik, Rowohlt-Verlag, Berlin, 2003
Jens Reich im Gespräch mit Mathias Greffrath und Konrad Adam, Hanser Verlag, München, 1994
Abschied von den Lebenslügen. Die Intelligenz und die Macht, Rowohlt Berlin, 1992
Rückkehr nach Europa. Zur Lage der deutschen Nation, Hanser Verlag, München 1991 

Photo: David Ausserhofer/Copyright: MDC