2 March 2026
Petra Schäfer took over the role as head of Corporate Communications at Forschungszentrum Jülich on 1 March 2026. The experienced business journalist and communications manager joins Jülich from Leverkusen-based chemical company Covestro. In her new role, she aims to further develop contemporary, strategically oriented communications that present research topics in a visible, accessible, and impact-oriented way - reaching beyond established specialist circles.
With Petra Schäfer, Forschungszentrum Jülich is gaining a communications expert with many years of experience in the strategic positioning of research and innovation topics. At Covestro, she worked as press spokesperson for research and development (R&D) and innovation, focusing on future-oriented topics such as the circular economy and digitalization. Since 2017, she has held various positions at Covestro, most recently with responsibility for innovation communications, board-level communications, and transformation topics.
"With Forschungszentrum Jülich's focus on major future-oriented topics - information, energy, and the bioeconomy - comes a special responsibility in communication. Our contribution to the digital and technological sovereignty of Germany and Europe is important and needs to be more widely recognized. The opportunity to take on this communications task together with a strong team is something that really excites me," says Schäfer.
Schäfer studied economics and completed her journalistic training at the Cologne school of journalism for politics and economics. She began her career at Handelsblatt, where she reported on companies and markets. This was followed by roles in corporate communications at Metro AG, as well as several years as a freelance business journalist for national media outlets such as DIE ZEIT and Harvard Business Manager.
