Dean of the Economic and Social Science Department, University of Stuttgart, University of Stuttgart, Germany
Short biography
Ortwin Renn serves as full professor for environmental sociology and technology assessment (www.uni-stuttgart.de/soz/tu), as Dean of the Economic and Social Sciences Department and as director of the Stuttgart Research Center for Interdisciplinary Risk and Innovation Studies at the University of Stuttgart (www.zirn-info.de/zirius.htm). He also directs the non-profit company DIALOGIK, a research institute for the investigation of communication and participation processes in environmental policy making (www.dialogik-expert.de). Renn also serves as Adjunct Professor for “Integrated Risk Analysis” at Stavanger University (Norway) and as Affiliate Professor for “Risk Governance” at Beijing Normal University. Together with Armin Grunwald he co-directs the German Helmholtz-Alliance: “Future infrastructures for meeting energy demands. Towards sustainability and social compatibility“.
Ortwin Renn has a doctoral degree in social psychology from the University of Cologne. His career included teaching and research positions at the Juelich Nuclear Research Center, Clark University (Worcester, USA), the Swiss Institute of Technology (Zuerich) and the Center of Technology Assessment (Stuttgart). Among others he is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of EU President Barroso, the Scientific and Technical Council of the International Risk Governance Council (IRGC) in Lausanne, the National Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management of the People’s Republic of China and the Risk Communication Advisory Committee of the European Food Safety Authority in Parma (Italy). In the past he served on the panel on “Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision Making” of the U.S.-National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. (from 2005-2007) and on the German Federal Government’s “Commission on Energy Ethics after Fukushima” (2011). He is a member of the Senate of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (Berlin) and of the Board of Directors of the German National Academy of Technology and Engineering (Acatech). In 2012 he was elected President of the International Society for Risk Analysis (SRA).
His honours include an honorary doctorate from the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), an honorary affiliate professorship at the Technical University Munich, the “Distinguished Achievement Award” of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) and several best publication awards. In 2012 the German Federal Government awarded him the National Cross of Merit Order in recognition of his outstanding academic performance. Renn is primarily interested in risk governance, political participation as well as technical and social change towards sustainability. Renn has published more than 30 books and 250 articles, most prominently the monograph “Risk Governance” (Earthscan: London 2008).
Additional material
Interview with Prof. Renn on the occasion of IRGC’s 10 year anniversary [pdf]