This post is also available in: Deutsch

Christian Fuhrer died on 29 March 2019 after a long illness at the age of 53. His death fills us with pain and grief.

Christian Fuhrer (born 26.9.1965) was appointed assistant professor and research group leader at the Institute for Brain Research at the University of Zurich at the age of 33 after studying and completing his doctorate at the University of Basel (1993) and spending several years researching in the USA. After successful years in research and teaching, he received a retrospective habilitation in March 2005 and a adjunct professorship for brain research.

In 2006 Christian Fuhrer took a new position as a research assistant at the Main Library of the University of Zurich and in 2011 he took over as head of the new Open Access department. He managed the development, operation and development of ZORA as the Zurich Open Access Repository and university bibliography of the UZH in a prudent and competent manner. He and his team organised publication support for Open Access and implemented HOPE (Main Library Open Publishing Environment), one of the first alternative publication platforms for journals. His commitment was also expressed in numerous courses, symposia and conferences, which he initiated and helped to shape.

He has played a leading role in many successful projects, e.g. the development of research data management at the UZH or EU projects such as OpenAIRE. Always open to cooperation, he was committed to cooperation within the UZH and beyond the university campus, in particular with the Zentrale Informatik, various UZH institute libraries and the Zurich Central Library.

His commitment and passion was to further develop Open Access as unrestricted access to scientific information for all. As an expert of the first hour, he had a sovereign overview of the complex, international developments and was appreciated and in demand far beyond the UZH. He was significantly involved in the development of the national Open Access strategy of swissuniversities, chaired the national Open Access working group of the Conference of University Libraries and was a member of international expert committees, e.g. in the LERU.

We miss a valuable colleague who has accompanied and supported us in many ways.

We will lack his expertise, his friendly, unobtrusive and helpful manner, his humour and his great commitment to the cause and we will remember him with gratitude.

We express our sincere condolences to his relatives.

Dr. Wilfried Lochbühler, Director Main Library

In the spirit of Christian Fuhrer and the mourning family, the Tibet-Institut Rikon (note: Christian Fuhrer) – postal account is commemorated: 84-5934-9