Alumni celebration 2025: Reunion at the Leverkusen campus

Great interest and lively exchange: The alumni celebration of the Faculty of Natural Sciences took place for the first time on January 10 at the new Leverkusen campus. More than 100 former students accepted the invitation and exchanged ideas with current students and members of the faculty in a variety of settings.

“The faculty has been successfully active in Leverkusen for 15 years and has already prepared around 700 graduates for an academic career. Today, I am looking forward to seeing alumni from 12 years again and gaining insights into a wide variety of career paths,” said Dean Prof. Dr. Matthias Hochgürtel, welcoming the guests.

In his opening speech, he took those present on a journey through the multifaceted history of the faculty - from the founding of the faculty in 2009 and the start of teaching at CHEMPARK Leverkusen in 2010, through the construction phase and opening of the Leverkusen campus, right up to the present day. Alumni from almost every year since the faculty was founded - including the first enrolled students - added to the journey through time with brief insights into their varied career paths.

A varied program afterwards offered students and alumni the opportunity to find out more about career paths, experiences, expectations and current research projects at the Faculty of Natural Sciences in various rooms on campus.

While the faculty's doctoral students presented their posters in the lecture halls, alumni talked to students and professors about their current careers in the Project Lab and the seminar rooms on campus. In addition, graduates of the degree programs “Technical Chemistry” (B.Sc., until summer semester 2018), “Applied Chemistry” (B.Sc., from winter semester 2018/19), “Pharmaceutical Chemistry” (B.Sc.), “Applied Chemistry” (M.Sc.) and “Drug Discovery and Development” (M.Sc.) shared special experiences and formative experiences from their time studying at TH Köln and described how their studies at the faculty prepared them for their careers.

At the same time, interviews for a new social media series “Our Alumni” of the Faculty of Natural Sciences took place in the Media Lab. Guests were also able to get an impression of the work of the Media Lab and have their picture taken with their former professors as a reminder of their student days.

A cozy get-together with finger food and drinks in the Mensa Leverkusen cafeteria provided an opportunity for further exchange and networking.