Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences has been deeply saddened to learn of the death of Professor Dr Helmut Prior. Helmut Prior joined the university in 2014 and played a committed role in its development in various capacities. On 28 January 2023, the Dean of Studies at the Faculty of Society and Economics passed away at the age of 62.
Professor Helmut Prior studied biology in Bielefeld and Münster and obtained his doctorate in behavioural biology. He completed his habilitation in 2002 at Ruhr University Bochum in the field of biological psychology. In the fields of teaching and research, Helmut Prior worked at the universities of Münster, Oxford, Düsseldorf, Bochum and Frankfurt as a research fellow, research assistant and professor.
In 2013, Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences succeeded in recruiting the Münsterland native to the Lower Rhine region, initially as a lecturer and later as a professor of early childhood education and prevention. Professor Prior initially focused on developing the Early Childhood Education degree programme, which was launched in 2012 and later renamed Childhood Education, and increasingly took on further important roles in academic self-governance.
Professor Prior’s research was wide-ranging and correspondingly successful. Alongside practice-oriented topics, such as the health of children in nurseries, he also addressed theoretical questions extending into the realm of philosophy, such as the perception of time. He was always particularly keen to communicate his research findings to a wide audience. He was keen to make use of this opportunity in the ‘Wednesday Academy’ lecture series organised by the Faculty of Society and Economics, for example with his lecture ‘Time in the Age of Corona’. However, he was equally committed to publishing in prestigious English-language peer-reviewed journals.
‘It was with great sadness that we learnt of Professor Helmut Prior’s death. As a researcher, professor of early childhood education and prevention, and as Dean of Studies at the Faculty of Society and Economics, he helped to build up Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences and left a decisive mark on it,” said University President Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen in tribute to his colleague. It was only at the end of 2022 that Mr Prior had been re-elected as Dean of Studies for a further four years.
“Helmut was a wonderful person. We held him in high regard for his warmth and compassion, as well as his extensive expertise. Drawing on his experience from various universities both in Germany and abroad, he consistently provided us with valuable insights and was a much-loved source of advice. Helmut Prior leaves a huge void in the faculty; we will all miss him greatly,” said Professor Dr Ralf Klapdor, Dean of the Faculty of Society and Economics.
The sudden death of Professor Helmut Prior has left Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences saddened and stunned. We mourn with his family, to whom we extend our deepest sympathies.
