Prof. Dr. Joachim Funke

Joachim Funke is Professor of General and Theoretical Psychology at the Department of Psychology of Heidelberg University since 1997. He received his doctorate from Trier University in 1984. In 1990, he habilitated at the Bonn University. Funke has been a visiting professor at various universities, including Fribourg (Switzerland), Melbourne (Australia), Nanjing (China), and Szeged (Hungary). His primary research interests are in thinking, creativity, and problem solving. His research ideas have been financially supported by the German Research Foundation, federal ministries, and the European Union, among others. Funke has published numerous articles in international journals, contributed chapters to textbooks, and has edited and published books. From 2010 to 2014, he chaired the International Expert Commission on Problem Solving in the OECD's global PISA studies. He is credited with a shift in the understanding of problem-solving that shifts the perspective from static to dynamic problem-solving activities. In 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Hungarian University of Szeged for his contributions to the computer-based assessment of problem solving processes. From October 2011 to March 2019, Funke served as speaker of the university's Academic Senate. His retirement began in April 2019.