Frank Brettschneider

Prof. Dr. Frank Brettschneider is a full professor and Chair of Communication Science at the University of Hohenheim, focusing on Communication Theory. His expertise spans communication in construction projects, political communication (including election research), and comprehensibility of public discourse. He has held academic roles since 2006 at Hohenheim, previously serving as a professor at the University of Augsburg (2001–2006) and interim professor at Friedrich Schiller University Jena (2000–2001). He earned his habilitation and doctorate from the University of Stuttgart, with research on public opinion and political leadership.

Education:

• Studied Political Science, Journalism, and Law at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
• Doctorate (Dr. rer. pol.) from University of Stuttgart (1995)
• Habilitation (Dr. habil.) at University of Stuttgart (2002) on 'Leading Candidates and Electoral Success'

Research Interests: Prof. Brettschneider's work emphasizes bridging theory and practice, particularly in infrastructure project communication, dialogue-driven citizen participation, and political communication dynamics. Notable projects include analyzing TV debates' impact, VDI guideline development for infrastructure stakeholder engagement (VDI 7001), and evaluating municipal refugee dialogues.

Key Contributions:

• Chair of the VDI Guidelines Committee 7001 for construction communication standards
• Member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Baden-Württemberg's citizen participation initiatives
• Lead researcher on comprehensibility of corporate and political communication

Scientific Awards:

• German Bundestag Science Prize (1996) for parliamentary research
• EMNID Science Prize (1997) for political personalization studies

Grants & Teams: Leads research teams on citizen forums, infrastructure communication, and political literacy. Collaborates with institutions like the Baden-Württemberg Foundation and the Bundesnetzagentur.

Labs/Teams: Coordinates the Institute of Communication Science's research groups on political communication, construction project dialogue, and comprehensibility indices.