In Memoriam: Perry Janssen (1958–2026)

Perry was a cornerstone of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics for more than 43 years. His loss is felt profoundly, and it is difficult to imagine the Institute without him. Perry leaves behind an enormous emptiness in our workplace, and we will miss him dearly.

Following his passing, we received many messages from colleagues at the MPI and from the Max Planck Society, expressing deep appreciation and gratitude. Not only for what Perry achieved, but especially for the way he achieved it.  Below are some tributes by some of the people who knew him best.

Cedric Gertzen (current Head of Administration):

“For 43 years, Perry devoted his energy, expertise, and dedication to our Institute, fundamentally contributing to its remarkable development. He was there from the very beginning and helped establish key administrative and financial structures that have shaped what the MPI is today. To many of us, he was simply the authority on finance: ‘Mr. SAP.‘ Because of the Institute’s unique position as a German institute in the Netherlands, Perry largely had to build his expertise himself, continuously expanding and refining it over the decades.

Thanks to Perry, our scientists were able to focus on what they loved most: research. Bureaucratic and financial hurdles were concerns he consistently took upon himself. In this way, he formed a vital bridge between administration and science. A bridge built on trust, clarity, and mutual respect. Perry did not leave small footprints, but strong, load-bearing foundations.”

Rolf König (Former Head of Administration):

“Perry was for many years a strong and reliable support to me. He was highly intelligent, a true professional who carried out his work with great interest and joy. I will always remember him as a loyal friend. I would very much have liked to see Perry as my successor. Characteristically, he thought about it long and carefully, but ultimately chose to follow his passion for numbers.”

Peter Hagoort (Director):

“In the many years that I have known Perry, I never saw him angry or in a bad mood. Always friendly and helpful in translating the intricacies of the Max Planck financial systems into transparent overviews for laypeople like myself.”

Karin Kastens (Head of Library):

“Perry and I both started at the MPI in 1983. This was my first job with responsibility for the library budget. Whenever Perry asked me about an invoice, I worried I had made a mistake. He explained the budgeting rules to me, and I explained why journal subscriptions had to be paid in advance.

Over the decades, we continued to explain the details of our respective fields to each other. In recent years, we were in the same department and attended the same events. Last year, I visited his office and saw a picture of a baby. ‘This is my grandson,’ Perry said, full of pride and joy, showing me photos on his phone. I left his office reflecting on how our conversations had evolved, from work matters to sharing pictures of a grandchild.

Perry is dearly missed.”