Dr Annett Schmeck
© HSRW/Jürgen Landes
In November 2025, Dr Annett Schmeck became the new Chancellor of Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. Working together with colleagues and partners at both campus locations in Kleve and Kamp-Lintfort, Dr Schmeck's goal is to continue developing HSRW into a modern, service-oriented and sustainable university. A main focus of hers is the digitalisation of administrative processes. By introducing efficient, transparent and user-friendly systems, existing processes will become more streamlined and swifter. At the same time, she plans to advance the long-term development of the university in sustainable ways, in particular through resource-efficient expenditure policies, energy-efficient infrastructure and the promotion of environmentally-conscious campus operations. Additional plans also include strengthening the university’s international character and interdisciplinary collaboration within the university.
In her previous role, Dr Annett Schmeck was the managing director of the Faculty of Philosophy and Education at the Ruhr University Bochum. She assumed this role in 2019. Prior to that, she worked as a research associate at the University of Duisburg-Essen before shifting to the private sector as a project manager for the Stiftung Mercator foundation in Essen.
A native of Essen herself, Dr Schmeck earned her undergraduate and postgraduate in psychology at the Ruhr University Bochum before earning her PhD at the University of Duisburg-Essen.
She is married and has two children.