On the Passing of Wolfgang Gaul

Former professor and Honorary Citizen of KIT passed away on September 1 at the age of 80
Portrait photograph of Wolfgang Gaul Nicole Brinnel, KIT
Professor Wolfgang Gaul at the conferral of KIT Honorary Citizenship in 2014.

Following his postdoctoral qualification at the University of Bonn in 1980, Professor Wolfgang Gaul assumed the position of Professor of Quantitative Methods in Business Planning and became Head of the Institute for Decision Theory and Business Research at what was then the University of Karlsruhe (TH). 

His significant contributions to research and teaching at the KIT Department of Economics and Management will remain unforgettable: Until his retirement in 2011, he shared his expertise and extensive knowledge – particularly in the fields of stochastics, optimization, and graph theory, and their applications in economics – with generations of students and doctoral candidates, inspiring them through his example. Equally remarkable were his efforts to foster international collaboration and mutual understanding, both professionally and personally.

Supporting early-career researchers – especially in the fields of computer science, mathematics, and economics – as well as individuals with disabilities who are unable to participate in academic life, was a cause close to Wolfgang Gaul’s heart. Together with his wife, he founded the non-profit Helga and Wolfgang Gaul Foundation in 2001. Today operating under the umbrella of the KIT Foundation, the foundation stands as a lasting testament to their shared commitment to education and social inclusion. In recognition of this exceptional and outstanding dedication to the benefit of KIT, Wolfgang Gaul was named an Honorary Citizen of KIT in 2014.

KIT is profoundly grateful to Wolfgang Gaul for his extraordinary support and will honor his legacy with lasting appreciation.

jho, October 15, 2025