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Dr Tewes Tralau appointed Vice-President of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment

5/2025, 28.01.2025

Dr Tewes Tralau is the new Vice President of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). The biologist has been working at the BfR since 2010. He will take office on 1^st of March 2025. Tralau succeeds Professor Dr Tanja Schwerdtle, who moved on to become president of the Max Rubner Institute  in autumn 2024. Professor Dr Matthias Greiner has since held the position of Acting Vice President of the BfR. “In Dr Tralau, we have gained a distinguished and competent expert as new Vice-President. Besides his expertise as a biologist who has specialised in secondary metabolism and biochemistry as well as molecular and regulatory toxicology he has many years of experience in scientific management, risk communication and administration,” says BfR President Professor Andreas Hensel. “Tewes Tralau is well familiar with the BfR and its work and enjoys the full trust and recognition of the staff. My special thanks go to Professor Greiner, who has performed this function on an interim basis with great commitment and foresight."

“Consumer safety and regulatory toxicology are currently experiencing exciting times and face major challenges,” says Dr Tralau. “I am pleased and honoured for the chance to accompany the BfR as Vice-President under these circumstances. I am committed to make a significant contribution to ensure that the BfR and its outstanding staff will also in the future be an internationally recognised reference for consumer protection.”

Dr Tralau joined the BfR in 2010 after an academic career with positions in Constance, Shanghai, Strasbourg and Manchester. He was initially Head of Unit and Deputy Head of the Department of Chemical and Product Safety before becoming head of the department for “Pesticide Safety” in 2020. Since 2024 he also is interim head of the department of “Food Safety”.

Tewes Tralau is a member of various national and international boards and committees. This includes, amongst others, the director’s board of the German Society of Toxicology (GT), the board of trustees of the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine (ITEM) and the scientific advisory committee (ESAC) of the EU reference laboratory for alternatives to animal testing (EURL ECVAM). In addition, he has a leading role as grant signatory and member of the management board of the EU’s toxicological lighthouse project “PARC” (Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals), where his department jointly co-leads the work package for toxicology together with the colleagues from the French sister authority ANSES (Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail).

About the BfR

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) in Germany. The BfR advises the Federal Government and the States (‘Laender’) on questions of food, chemicals and product safety. The BfR conducts independent research on topics that are closely linked to its assessment tasks.

This text version is a translation of the original German text, which is the only legally binding version.

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