Highly regarded both for his medical expertise and his research expertise, Prof. Meier is now the head of the Department for Anaesthesiology and Operative Intensive Care Medicine.

Univ. Prof Dr. Jens Meier studied medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich and subsequently specialized at the Klinikum Großhadern. After completing his specialization and habilitation at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, he moved to Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen, where he was appointed associate professor and senior physician. He has been the head of the Department for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine since 2014, first at the General Hospital and later at the Kepler University Hospital in Linz. Prof. Dr. Jens Meier served as JKU Dean of Research between 2017-2019.

Prof. Dr. Jens Meier is outstanding leader, skilled in communication with patients, colleagues, and scientists. His prudence, empathy and consistent action at decisive moments distinguish him as an intensive care physician and also qualify him for academia. He has consistently demonstrated special organizational skills integrating two departments at his clinic during the course of the merger to create the Kepler University Hospital.

Prof. Dr. Jens Meier remarked: "In addition to further expanding high-quality patient care, teaching and research will, of course, play a major role although I am very pleased that my department is already very active in these two areas. As part of a continual improvement process, my department team members and I will try to advance individual and organizational professionalization in patient care as well as in research and teaching."

Research Focus on "Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care"
In the area of patient care, Prof. Meier is especially talented in mediation and management. As a clinically broad subject area, anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine must work together with many other departments. This means making processes as simple as possible.

In the area of research, the topic of artificial intelligence is already a focus at the so-called "Medical Cognitive Computing Center - MC3" and a branch of molecular basic research will also be created, focusing on anemia, inflammation, and hypoxia.

In the area of clinical research, the main focus will be on further expanding patient blood management. When it comes to education and in order to secure young talent for the long term, he believes in getting young colleagues excited about the field of anaesthesia.

Deputy Governor Mag. Christine Haberlander emphasized: "We are very pleased to have such an outstanding physician and excellent scientist as Prof. Dr. Meier on board. He will undoubtedly be an asset in both research and patient care. As Dean of Research, Prof. Dr. Jens Meier has already greatly enriched the Kepler University Hospital. His appointment is an ideal addition to a young faculty of medicine. I wish him all the best and great success in the future."

Mag. Dr. Franz Harnoncourt, director of the Kepler University Hospital, is pleased about the appointment and added: "I am thrilled that Prof. Dr. Jens Meier, a highly esteemed primarius at the hospital, emerged as the leading candidate during the appointment process. Prof. Dr. Jens Meier is enthusiastic and believes in the potential of the Faculty of Medicine in Linz. His professional success story includes being a very active physician and Dean of Research from the very beginning. Advancing his office to a university department was a heart’s desire."

The medical director of the University Hospital, Dr. Heinz Brock, and nursing director, Simone Pollhammer, have known the new head of the department for many years: "Prof. Dr. Jens Meier is fully committed to his profession. His work in anaesthesiology and intensive care has given the hospital an outstanding professional reputation in Austria and beyond. We would like to emphasize this and thank him for the outstanding collaboration between the different professional groups. We congratulate him warmly and wish him every success in his new challenging task."

Mag. Dr. Elgin Drda, Vice-Rector for Medicine at the JKU, added: "Prof. Meier’s research priorities fit well into the young Faculty of Medicine’s research profile. His interdisciplinary research team focuses on managing and optimizing intensive care patient transfers in the emergency room. His work focuses on the clinical applicability of the algorithms. Professor Meier works closely with the head of Bioinformatics, in particular in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence, and with the head of Signal Processing. Close networking in different areas of specialization creates synergies in which research, education, and patient care benefit enormously. Professor Meier has already earned recognition as Dean of Research and we are very pleased about his appointment as head of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine."

During his speech, Prof. Dr. Jens Meier also thanked the management: "Thanks to our committed and highly qualified employees, our scientific potential is now recognized throughout Austria and beyond its borders. Personally, I am very happy and proud to be holding a chair in my field."