Google Vice President, Turing Award winner, and “Father of the Internet” Dr. Vinton G. Cerf, who has supported Ünver in many ways, congratulated him on his appointment during a digital inauguration ceremony.

The ceremony began with welcoming remarks from FOM Rector Prof. Dr. Burghard Hermeier. Other congratulators included Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Ingrid Eumann, FOM Chancellor Dr. Harald Beschorner, representatives from FOM Frankfurt, Prof. Dr. Dr. Franz Josef Radermacher, Prof. Dr. Estelle Herlyn, as well as Ünver’s colleagues, friends, family, and the guest of honor Dr. Vinton Cerf.

Cerf stated: “Dr. Ünver’s work is crucial for understanding the barriers to the spread and use of the Internet, as well as the resulting economic benefits and potential risks.” The Internet pioneer and Turing Award laureate joined the ceremony remotely from the United States.

Cerf also shared thoughts on the future of education: “If affordable and secure broadband access is ensured, it could open up opportunities for lifelong learning. In the future, education should not be understood solely as a phase during the first 20 to 25 years of life. Over the last hundred years, life expectancy has increased dramatically in many parts of the world. There are many reasons for this, but the implications for education are profound. Imagine your child or grandchild wants to live to 100 and remain healthy for most of that time. It is unlikely that one can learn everything necessary for a productive career in the first 20-25 years. Assuming a productive career of 60-70 years, technology and global conditions will surely change and require us to learn new skills to remain relevant at work. Just look at the first 20 years of the 21st century: smartphones were introduced only 14 years ago, and we can already see how they have shaped the Internet and its online services. The coming decades will certainly bring even more unexpected developments.”

Cerf and Ünver first met in 2014 at a UN conference, where they discussed Ünver’s doctoral research. Ünver earned his Dr. rer. nat. in 2015 at the University of Ulm with his dissertation “Global Networking, Communication and Culture – Conflict or Convergence”, supervised by Prof. Dr. Dr. Franz Josef Radermacher and Prof. Dr. Michael Weber, in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Coy of Humboldt University Berlin. Even as a student, Ünver became familiar with work at FAW/n and developed an early interest in shaping the future and researching globalization processes in the context of digitalization, sustainability, and culture. He subsequently worked as a research associate and postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Databases/Artificial Intelligence at the University, while also being active at FAW/n for many years.

In addition to his consulting activities, Prof. Ünver focuses on linking digital transformation, sustainability, energy and climate, transportation and mobility, globalization, international relations, and cultural change. He is active in think-tank working groups at the UN, G20, and EU levels. He serves on the Advisory Board of the European Technology Chamber (EUTEC) and has worked as Director of International Relations at the Senate of Economy Europe. Since 2018, Dr. Ünver has been teaching at FOM University’s Stuttgart campus and will now enrich FOM in Frankfurt as Professor of Technology and Innovation Management.

The nonprofit FOM University belongs to the Educational Center of the Economy Foundation (BCW) in Essen. Currently, the university has more than 50,000 students across over 30 cities in Germany and in Vienna. What makes it unique: students complete state-recognized and accredited Bachelor’s and Master’s programs alongside their jobs or vocational training.

Image source: H. Ünver; Gerd Altmann (Pixabay)