internal member - vice chairman Andreas Kruse

Prof. Dr Dr h.c. Andreas Kruse studied psychology, philosophy, psychopathology and music at the universities of Aachen and Bonn and the Cologne University of Music. He received his doctorate in psychology with the grade “summa cum laude et egregia” from the University of Bonn and his habilitation in psychology from Heidelberg University. From 1993-1997 he was the founding director and a professor at the Institute of Psychology of Greifswald University. Since 1997, he has been Director of the Institute of Gerontology at Heidelberg University and from 2007-2011 he was Dean of the University’s Faculty of Behavioural and Cultural Studies.

He is the recipient of numerous international and national honours, including a 1st Presidential Award of the International Association of Gerontology, the Federal Cross of Merit, personally awarded by President Prof. Köhler for contributions to generational research and to international and national policy. From 1999-2002 he was a member of the commission established by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to draw up the International Plan of Action on Aging and from 2010-2012 he was coordinator in the Federal Chancellor’s Dialogue on Germany’s Future. Since 2003 he has been chair of the federal government’s Commission for the Report on Aging and since 2016 a member of the German Ethics Council (from 2016-2018 he was its deputy chair). In 2010, Prof. Kruse received an honorary doctorate from the University of Osnabrück.

He has been a member of the Heidelberg University Council since 2018.