About us Head of Institute
Former directors
Prof. Dr phil. Dr h.c. mult. Ursula Lehr, Founding Director
Prof. Dr phil. Dr h.c. mult. Ursula Lehr was appointed to the Chair of Education and Educational Psychology at the University of Cologne in 1972, in 1975 she took over the Chair of Psychology in Bonn, and in 1986 she was appointed to the first Chair of Gerontology in Heidelberg, where she founded the Institute of Gerontology. From 1988 to 1991, Prof. Lehr was Federal Minister for Youth, Family, Women and Health and from 1990 to 1994 a member of the German Parliament. In 1995, she became the founding director of the German Centre for Ageing Research (DZFA), the predecessor organisation of today's Network for Ageing Research (NAR) at the University of Heidelberg. She retired in 1998.
Prof. Dr. phil. Dr. h.c. Dipl.-Psych. Andreas Kruse, Emeritus, Seniorprofessor distinctus
Prof. Dr phil. Dr h.c. Dipl.-Psych. Andreas Kruse was Founding Director and Full Professor of Developmental Psychology and Educational Psychology at the University of Greifswald from 1993 to 1997 before his appointment as Institute Director and Chair of the Institute of Gerontology. From 2003 to 2020, he was Chairman of the Federal Government's Ageing Report Commissions, from 2006 to 2012 a member of the Board of the Network for Ageing Research at the University of Heidelberg, and from 2016 to 2018 Deputy Chairman of the German Ethics Council. Prof. Kruse retired in 2021 and was appointed Senior Professor Distinctus at Heidelberg University.