Ursula Gather was born in Mönchengladbach. She is married to an entrepreneur and is mother of two sons. She began her term as rector of TU Dortmund on 1 September 2008. In 1986, she left her previous position at RWTH Aachen University and was appointed full professor to the chair of Mathematical Statistics and Industrial Applications in the Faculty Statistics at TU Dortmund. Her previous experience in academic administration and leadership includes the positions of prorector for research (1994-1998), member of the university senate (1993) and dean of the Faculty of Statistics. Her broad experience in research includes innovative interdisciplinary projects as, for example, improved alarm systems in intensive care units which she developed together with medical researchers. She was a visiting professor at the University of Iowa, Yale University, La Trobe University in Melbourne and University of Lille. She is vice chair of the senate of the German Aerospace Center and member of the boards of a number of scientific organizations. She chairs the review board in mathematics at the German Research Foundation (DFG), is a member of the council of the International Statistical Institute, and the executive committee of the Bernoulli Society. She chairs the Friends of the Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach. Rector Gather is especially proud of the fact that five of her postdoctoral students have obtained professorial positions of their own.