Curriculum vitae

Alf Zimmer (born 1943) is an engineering psychologist bringing together basic research and fields of application to improve human-machine-systems.

Since his doctoral dissertation on the structure of human memory and cognition he has been assistant professor at the University of Regensburg, associate professor at the universities of Oldenburg and Münster, visiting scholar at Stanford University, and since 1984 held the chair of experimental applied psychology at the University of Regensburg.

In parallel to his scientific career, he has served as departmental chairman, as director of technical services, as member of the academic senate, as vice-rector and, finally, rector of University of Regensburg.

During his tenure as rector he was active in different academic evaluation committees, was vice-chairperson and later chairperson of the “Universität Bayern” (the union of Bavarian universities). He has worked for the Bavarian government as consultant for technology development and risk assessment. For the German federal ministry of traffic he has served in the consulting scientific board and for the German federal ministry of ecology he has co-authored the guidelines for human factors in production safety.

Since his retirement he collaborates with the aerospace industry in the development of future cockpits and 3-D workplaces for air-traffic control.

Important Personel Stages

born: 02. November 1943 in Bevensen/Germany

1963: Highschool Diploma (Abitur) in Hannover/Germany

1963 – 1967: Member of the Jesuit Order (Societas Iesu)

1971: Diploma in Psychology (1.0) Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany

1973: Ph. D. (summa cum laude) Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany

1982: Habilitation Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany

1988 married to Dr. Katharina Dahmen

1989 first son (Sebastain) born

1991 second son (Fabian) born

2009 retired
 

Important Career Stages

1971 - 1973: Research Assistant at the Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen

1973 - 1976: Assistant Professor at the Bayerische Landesuniversität Regensburg

1976 - 1980: Associate Professor at the Carl-von-Ossietzky Universität

1980 - 1984: Associate Professor at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität

1980 - 1983: Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, CA (USA)

1982 - 1983: Chairman (Dekan) of the Department of Psychology at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster

1984 - now : Full Professor at the Bayerische Landesuniversität Regensburg 

1988 - 1990: Chairman (Dekan) of the Department II of Philosophy at the Bayerische Landesuniversität Regensburg

1992 - 1994: Vice President (Prorektor) of the Bayerische Landesuniversität Regensburg

1974 - 1976, and 1990 - 1994: Member of the Academic Senate of the Bayerische Landesuniversität Regensburg

1994 - 2001: Member of the Advisory Board for the development of  the University of Regensburg

1984 - 1988, and 1996 - 2001: Director of the Sub-Department of Psychology at Bayerische Landesuniversität Regensburg

1995 - 2001: Member of the Advisory Board of the Bavarian Government on Technology Assessment and Risk

1997 – 2012: Member of different working groups “Human Factors in Process Safety” for the Commission for Process Safety of the Federal Ministry of Environment

2001 – 2009: President of the Bayerische Landesuniversität Regensburg

2005 – 2009: Member of the senate of the German Rectors‘ Conference

2007 – 2009: President of the University of Bavaria (the union of Bavarian

since 2014: Member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, Taylor & Francis