Prof. Dr. Ralph Bruder has been President of the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg since 1 August 2021.

He studied electrical engineering at the Technical University of Darmstadt, where he also received his doctorate in 1992 and worked as a research associate. In 1996, he accepted an appointment at the University of Duisburg-Essen. There, he was a professor of ergonomics in design until 2005 and director of the Institute for Ergonomics and Design Research, which he founded. He was also founding president and, until 2006, executive director of the Zollverein School of Management and Design gGmbH.

In 2006, he returned to TU Darmstadt as professor and head of the Institute of Ergonomics. As scientific director, he built up an umbrella organisation for early career researchers. From 2014 to 2019, he was full-time Vice President for Study, Teaching and Graduate Education.

Prof. Dr. Ralph Bruder served as president of the German Society for Occupational Science. In addition to being a member of numerous professional bodies, he is currently chairman of the Academic Advisory Council of the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. He was also co-editor of the journal Applied Ergonomics and a member of the Academic Advisory Council of several national and international journals.