Title
President
Institution / Organization
Universität Vechta, Germany
Bio
Burghart Schmidt was born in Hamburg, Germany, and went to school in Bremen and Worpswede. From 1982 to 1987 he studied history, geography and philosophy at the University Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux 3 in France. 1998 he obtained his PhD at the University of Hamburg, where he was researching the city’s history during the time of the French Revolution and Napoleon. In 2004, he continued his academic career at the same University, focussing in his habilitation on Ludwig Bechstein and the literary reception of Early modern witch hunt in the 19th century. He worked many years with Prof. Dr. Arno Herzig and, after Prof. Herzig’s retirement, took over his position as senior professor. In 2005, Burghart Schmidt started working at Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg. In 2006, he became professor for early modern history at the University Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 in France. Between 2008 and 2012, he served as vice president of this university, and between 2010 and 2014 he took on the position of director of the IEFE. In February 2009, he received the title „Chevalier dans l´Ordre des Palmes académiques“ for extraordinary accomplishments in the German-French collaboration in the field of Higher Education. He is honorary citizen of Louisville, US, adviser for several research institutions and committees. He returned to Germany in 2016 and since holds the position of President at University of Vechta.