Andreas Köpfer

Prof. Dr. Andreas Köpfer is Professor of Educational Science with a focus on Inclusion Research at the University of Education Freiburg, Germany. He serves as Vice Dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences and heads the Department of General Educational Science. His work centres on inclusive education, critical autism studies, comparative international research, and qualitative methodologies examining exclusion and inclusion mechanisms in schools.

Education & Academic Career

• Full Professor, University of Education Freiburg (current)
• Visiting Professor, School of Education, University of Iceland (2024)
• Leader of the research group “Autism Studies in Education” (AutiSE)
• Elected to the board of the Special Education Section of the German Educational Research Association (DGfE)

Research Interests

Prof. Köpfer’s research interrogates how inclusive education is enacted, governed, and experienced across different cultural contexts. He employs spatial theories, critical disability studies, and participatory methodologies to explore:

• Comparative inclusive education policies and practices in Europe, Armenia, Georgia, Iceland, and Canada.
• Critical autism studies, focusing on how autism is constructed and negotiated in schools.
• Paraprofessional roles and their ambivalent effects on inclusion and stigmatization.
• Spatial dimensions of inclusion/exclusion, analysing how school spaces shape belonging and exclusion.

Recent Publications & Trends

Since 2022, Prof. Köpfer has co-authored or edited eight books and more than fifteen peer-reviewed articles. His 2024–2025 outputs emphasise methodological innovation in qualitative comparative research, theorisations of space and body in inclusive settings, and critical interrogations of autism-related practices. Recurring themes include the tension between support and segregation, the agency of students and parents, and the politics of teacher education for inclusion.

Scientific Awards & Recognition

While no specific awards are listed, Prof. Köpfer’s repeated invitations as keynote speaker, visiting professor, and guest editor of special issues in high-impact journals (e.g., International Journal of Inclusive Education, Empirische Pädagogik) attest to significant scholarly recognition.

Doctoral Supervision & Grants

• Primary supervisor for Dr. Claudia Ziehbrunner’s 2021 PhD on inclusion-related attitudes of teacher trainees.
• Primary supervisor for Dr. Kathrin Lemmer’s 2025 dissertation on participatory research with primary school children.
• Principal investigator or co-investigator on multiple externally funded projects totalling >€1 million, including DFG network “Inclusive Education in International Comparison”, Erasmus+ ED-TED, and Caritas-funded studies in Armenia and Georgia.

Labs, Teams & Collaborations

Prof. Köpfer leads the AutiSE research group at Freiburg and coordinates an international consortium within the Erasmus+ ED-TED project. He maintains long-standing collaborations with Prof. Edda Óskarsdóttir (University of Iceland), co-edits the book series dilikus with colleagues from Trier, and mentors emerging scholars within the German-speaking Inclusion Research Network.