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Management

Portrait of Daniela Wirtz

Daniela Wirtz

Head of Projektträger Jülich,
Head of Business Area "Research and Society NRW" (acting)

Since May 2025, Daniela Wirtz has been heading Projektträger Jülich. She studied economic geography at RWTH Aachen University and subsequently worked in consulting. Starting in 2009, she worked at TÜV Rheinland Consulting GmbH, where she served as a research associate, team leader, and later as the head of the research management department. In this role, she was responsible for project management in the fields of mobility and transportation. In 2021, she moved to PtJ as Head of the division "Research and Society NRW".

Portrait of Dr. Dirk Bessau

Dr. Dirk Bessau

Head of Business Area "Energy and Climate"

Dr. Dirk Bessau leads the "Energy and Climate" business area. The economist brings extensive experience in the energy industry and various leadership positions. After working at Flensburg Stadtwerke, the German Wind Energy Association (Bundesverband WindEnergie e.V.), and GASPOOL GmbH, he served as the head of the Berlin office of InnoEnergy GmbH from 2014 to 2020. He has been working at PtJ since 2020.

Portrait of Michael Weber

Michael Weber

Head of Business Area "Sustainable Development and Innovation"

Michael Weber has been leading the "Sustainable Development and Innovation" business area since April 2020. He studied biology as well as environmental sciences and environmental management. Subsequently, he worked as a scientific advisor in the Berlin House of Representatives, at the University of Halle-Wittenberg, and at the Federal Institute of Hydrology. He has been working at PtJ since 2005.

Portrait of Dr. Berhard Gilleßen

Dr. Bernhard Gilleßen

Head of Business Area „Research and Society NRW“

Since October 2025, Dr. Bernhard Gilleßen has been leading the division „Research and Society NRW“. He studied biology and received his doctorate at RWTH Aachen University. Dr. Gilleßen has been working at PtJ since 2009: first as a scientific and technical officer in the Department of Molecular Life Sciences, including a secondment to the then Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). He later became head of the Department of Biomedicine and subsequently led the former division Life Sciences and Health Research.