Obituary Prof Dr Hans-Peter Wiedling

It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to our colleague Prof Dr Hans-Peter Wiedling, a highly esteemed member of the Faculty of Computer Science, who will be remembered by us all as a dedicated lecturer, scientist and above all as a warm-hearted person.

Prof Wiedling dedicated his life to computer science and teaching. His passion for computer science and his tireless curiosity drove him to constantly break new ground and explore complex interrelationships. With his extensive expertise and his great joy in teaching, he was a role model for his colleagues and for the many students who were lucky enough to be taught by him, and he played a decisive role in shaping the lives of some of them.

After studying computer science at Darmstadt Technical University, Hans-Peter Wiedling worked as a research assistant at Fraunhofer IGD in Darmstadt from 1988 to 1993, where he gained his doctorate in the field of electronic documents. From 1993 to 1995, he was head of department at the Centre for Graphical Data Processing (ZGDV e.V.), which was affiliated to the IGD, where he also co-organised one of the very early Web Conferences (then the International World-Wide Web Conference).

In 1995, he was offered a professorship at Bingen University of Applied Sciences, where he co-founded the Applied Computer Science study programme and supervised countless student research projects, practical stages and dissertations. He was also responsible for a large part of the computer science training programme there.

On 1 March 2002, Hans-Peter Wiedling was appointed professor in the faculty of multimedia/Internet applications at the computer science department of Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. Driven by the goal of making things better, Prof Wiedling was Vice Dean from 2003 to 2006; he then headed the Faculty of Computer Science at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences as Dean from 2006 to 2008. Falling student numbers and far-reaching changes to the allocation of funds by the state government led to drastic funding and staff cuts in the faculty. At the same time, the then three-semester Master's programme had to be increased to four semesters or discontinued within a year due to changes in accreditation requirements. It was important to him to involve everyone involved in this change process. In countless discussions, he did a great deal of persuasive work and addressed fears and concerns. Thanks to his personal commitment, the faculty was strengthened and well positioned for the future.

Most recently, he taught at the Faculty of Computer Science, primarily in the field of Human Computer Interaction. In recent years, he has also been heavily involved in the Media faculty in Dieburg, where he taught programming and web development, among other things.

Contact with his students and, above all, good and comprehensible teaching that engages as many participants as possible have always been very important to him. This included, for example, motivating practical tasks from current subject areas as well as clear and comprehensible examples.

Above all, he was able to encourage students to think independently and find solutions on their own by providing the right support and asking the right questions, thus passing on his enthusiasm for computer science and its ever-changing topics to his students. He was always genuinely pleased when a task was solved particularly well or quickly.

However, it was not only his professional work that characterised him, but above all his personality. Hans-Peter Wiedling was known for his friendliness and his willingness to listen to everyone. Whether in difficult professional matters or with personal worries - he was always ready to offer support, discuss problems and show ways forward. His modesty and subtle sense of humour made him a person who commanded the respect and deep affection of all who knew him.

With the death of Prof Dr Hans-Peter Wiedling, we not only lose an outstanding lecturer and computer scientist, but also a dear, warm-hearted colleague, mentor and friend. Hans-Peter Wiedling left us far too early and will be missed forever. We are grateful for the time we were able to spend with him. His memory will live on in our hearts.

Our deepest sympathy goes out to his family and all those who were close to him.

In silent mourning and deep gratitude,
the Faculty of Computer Science at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences
12.09.2024