New Director for Global Research Institute

Laxenburg, Austria – 26 January 2009. The Chairman of the Council of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Professor Peter Lemke, has warmly welcomed the appointment of Professor Detlof von Winterfeldt as the new Director of the Institute.

“This appointment follows a worldwide search for an innovative leader with outstanding research credentials, and we have found such a person in Professor von Winterfeldt,” said Prof. Lemke.  

Prof. von Winterfeldt joins IIASA following his long-term tenure as a professor at the University of Southern California, where he held many administrative and research positions, most recently as the Director of the National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE). Concurrently with his appointment at IIASA, he will be Visiting Centennial Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

He was educated at the University of Hamburg, Germany, in Psychology, and later at the University of Michigan where he attained a doctorate in Mathematical Psychology. For the past thirty years he has been active in teaching, research, university administration, and consulting, largely within the United States, Germany, and Italy. His research interests are in the foundation and practice of decision and risk analysis as applied to the areas of technology development, natural hazards, terrorism and environmental risks.

He has served on many committees and panels of the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and the US National Academies, including a recent appointment to the National Academies’ Board on Mathematical Sciences and their Applications. He is a Fellow of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) and of the Society for Risk Analysis. In 2000 he received the Ramsey Medal from INFORMS for distinguished contributions to the field of decision analysis.

Prof. von Winterfeldt has a long association with IIASA.

“I was a research scholar with the Institute between 1975 and 1978. I have maintained an interest in IIASA over the years and have great admiration for the scientific excellence and policy relevance of its research.”

“It is exciting to lead an organisation that can bring nations together to tackle major global issues like climate change, environmental degradation or energy sustainability. IIASA, with its international membership and global approach, is in a unique position to provide scientific leadership on very complex policy issues.”

“I have a good deal more to learn about IIASA over the coming months, its people, its research, its partners and stakeholders. One of my first tasks is to work with the IIASA Council to develop a strategic plan that will lead the Institute into the next decade,” he concluded.

Prof. von Winterfeldt is author or co-author of over 100 journal articles and book chapters. He also co-authored the influential book “Decision Analysis and Behavioral Research,” as well as other edited volumes. He becomes IIASA’s ninth Director since it was established in 1972.

He is joined by his French-born wife, Martine and their daughter Justine.

More information:

Detailed CV
Image gallery
Media advisory in German
Podcast

For interviews with Prof. von Winterfeldt, contact:
Leane Regan, IIASA
Tel: +43 2236 807 316 or +43 664 443 0368

About IIASA:
IIASA is an international scientific institute that conducts research into the critical issues of global environmental, economic, technological, and social change that we face in the twenty-first century. Our findings provide valuable options to policy makers to shape the future of our changing world.

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Last updated: 06 Aug 2009