3 November 2025

On Wednesday 29 October, University President Prof. Dr Jörg Wagner welcomed a special guest to Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences: Professor Jürgen Poerschke, who celebrated his 80th birthday a few days ago. The President took the opportunity to congratulate his longstanding colleague in person, to catch up with him and to reminisce together. An invitation was extended to the traditional Schnitzel Day in the canteen - probably the most popular day of the week among students and staff.

Professor Poerschke has been closely associated with Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences for more than two decades. After training as a concrete worker and completing his A-levels, he studied mathematics at Martin Luther University in Halle, graduating in 1971 with a degree in mathematics. His professional career initially took him to the Leuna-Werke „Walter Ulbricht“, where he worked until 1982 - most recently as a research and development group leader. In 1986, he completed his doctorate in chemistry at the Leuna-Merseburg Technical University on numerical modelling tasks in reaction kinetics.

After reunification, he took over the reorganisation of the Niedersachswerfen plant on behalf of Leuna AG and the Treuhand and subsequently held a management position in the building materials industry. In 2002, Jürgen Poerschke joined Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences as a lecturer, where his basic maths course soon achieved cult status among students. From 2004, he worked as a research assistant in the Department of Engineering Sciences and played a key role in shaping the research areas of Recycling 2.0 and secondary raw materials.

Thanks to his expertise and commitment, numerous third-party funded projects were initiated. His work included the development of innovative recycling technologies, the quality assurance of secondary fuels and the investigation of social and political aspects of recycling.

„I am delighted that my work to date has been recognised in this way,“ said Professor Poerschke on the occasion of the invitation. „Especially in view of my numerous external contacts, it's nice to see that the current projects are also being recognised.“

With his tireless commitment, his professional depth and his human nature, Professor Poerschke has left a lasting mark on Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences - and so it was President Wagner's personal wish to express his thanks and appreciation to the jubilarian in a convivial atmosphere.