Colorado State University Professor Promotes Research Ties to Germany with Research Ambassador Distinction

Manfred Diehl, professor in Human Development and Family Studies and director of the Center on Aging, was named a research ambassador by the German Academic Exchange Service, known as DAAD. DAAD is the German national agency for the support of international academic cooperation.

Research ambassadors serve as liaisons for the DAAD in the United States and Canada to promote research opportunities in Germany among colleagues, peers and students.

As a research ambassador, Diehl will strive to inspire others to conduct research in Germany by working within their respective departments and serving as a resource to the university. Working with CSU’s Office of International Programs, he plans a number of events for faculty, post-doctoral researchers and students outlining opportunities in Germany. He also is available via e-mail to answer questions from students and peers from beyond this geographic area.

Diehl’s research focuses on self-concept and social-emotional development across the adult lifespan and on awareness of age-related change in adults. He is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and a Fellow of Division 20: Adult Development and Aging of the American Psychological Association.

Diehl’s most recent work on awareness of age-related change is conducted in collaboration with his colleague, Professor Hans-Werner Wahl, from the Institute of Psychological Aging Research at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. Their research on awareness of age-related change is currently funded by a three-year grant from the TransCoop-Program of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and focuses on the development of measurement instruments for cross-cultural comparisons. In addition, Diehl and Wahl have received funding from the DAAD to work toward building a bi-national Ph.D. program in psychological aging research.

Diehl has been active in facilitating exchanges between United States and German universities and has maintained relationships with colleagues at several universities in Germany, including the University of Heidelberg, the Jacobs University Bremen and the Free University Berlin.

The research ambassador program honors 18 individuals who have conducted a long-term research project in Germany at the doctoral level or above. At the end of August, the 2010 research ambassadors participated in a two-day seminar addressing the latest developments in German higher education and research as well as discussions on the many funding programs available to North American scientists and academics interested in conducting research in Germany or initiating collaborative projects with German colleagues.

Diehl will serve as a research ambassador for the 2010-11 academic year.
 

-30-