Prof. Dr. Anja Achtziger appointed new President of Zeppelin University

Friedrichshafen. Social and business psychologist Professor Dr. Anja Achtziger is to become the new President of Zeppelin University (ZU) in Friedrichshafen. Prof. Achtziger was elected by the ZU Senate and the newly established University Council and appointed by the ZU Foundation, the sponsoring foundation of ZU. Ms. Achtziger has been a member of ZU since 2010, most recently as Vice President Research for several years; she has been acting President of ZU since April 2025.

"I would like to thank the Senate, the University Council and the ZU Foundation for their great trust and look forward to this exciting new role," explains Anja Achtziger on the occasion of her appointment. "In view of the changes on the education market and the associated challenges, especially for a renowned private university like ZU, this task offers many opportunities. We want to consistently seize these opportunities, for example by offering additional attractive degree programs such as psychology."

"With Prof. Anja Achtziger, ZU is getting a president who has been loyally associated with the university since 2010 and therefore knows it like no other," says Dr. Andreas Kamm, Chairman of the ZU Foundation, on the occasion of the appointment. Peter Gerstmann, Chairman of the University Council, adds: "Ms. Achtziger is a particularly distinguished academic in her field and brings with her the necessary experience and success in university management through her many years as Vice President Research and, for almost a year, as Interim President. We look forward to working together and to the successful further development of our university."

Anja Achtziger studied psychology at the Technical University of Darmstadt, where she graduated with a degree in psychology in 1997. As a doctoral student and research assistant at the University of Konstanz, she was awarded her doctorate summa cum laude in 2003. In 2008, she habilitated on the topic of "Successful action from a social-cognitive perspective: Rubicon model, intent theory and mental contrasting" with the Venia Legendi for the entire subject of psychology.

Anja Achtziger has been a member of ZU since 2010 and has held the Chair of Social and Economic Psychology since 2012. A visiting professorship took her to New York University in Abu Dhabi. Her research focuses on social and economic psychology, behavioral economics, motivation, social neuroscience and neuroeconomics. In the course of her career, Anja Achtziger has acquired numerous research projects and has contributed her professional expertise to editorial boards and various review activities. She has also been actively involved in political consulting for many years. She is currently a member of the Consumer Commission of the state of Baden-Württemberg.