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 “Universit?t 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.
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) Westf?lische Wilhelms-Universit?t Münster, Germany
1973: Ph. D. (summa cum laude) Westf?lische Wilhelms-Universit?t Münster, Germany
1982: Habilitation Westf?lische Wilhelms-Universit?t Münster, Germany
1988 married to Dr. Katharina Dahmen
1989 first son (Sebastain) born
1991 second son (Fabian) born
2009 retired
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1971 - 1973: Research Assistant at the Eberhard-Karls-Universit?t Tübingen
1973 - 1976: Assistant Professor at the Bayerische Landesuniversit?t Regensburg
1976 - 1980: Associate Professor at the Carl-von-Ossietzky Universit?t
1980 - 1984: Associate Professor at the Westf?lische Wilhelms-Universit?t
1980 - 1983: Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, CA (USA)
1982 - 1983: Chairman (Dekan) of the Department of Psychology at the Westf?lische Wilhelms-Universit?t Münster
1984 - now : Full Professor at the Bayerische Landesuniversit?t Regensburg?
1988 - 1990: Chairman (Dekan) of the Department II of Philosophy at the Bayerische Landesuniversit?t Regensburg
1992 - 1994: Vice President (Prorektor) of the Bayerische Landesuniversit?t Regensburg
1974 - 1976, and 1990 - 1994: Member of the Academic Senate of the Bayerische Landesuniversit?t 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 Landesuniversit?t 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 Landesuniversit?t 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