Heiko Giebler

Dr. Heiko Giebler is a prominent researcher in political science, currently serving as Guest Researcher at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center since January 2021 and Head of a Research Group within the Cluster of Excellence 'Contestations of the Liberal Script' at Freie Universität Berlin since 2020. His career includes extensive roles as a Research Fellow at WZB, Head of projects like 'Political Legitimacy in Times of Crisis,' and visiting scholar appointments at the University of Exeter (2016) and the University of Sydney (2011). He holds a PhD in Political Science from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2016), following MA and BA degrees in social sciences from the same institution (2005–2009).

His research focuses on democracy, electoral behavior, political parties, and quantitative methods. Key projects include the German Longitudinal Election Study (GLES), funded by the DFG, and contributions to the PIREDEU project on European electoral democracy. His work explores topics such as right-wing populism, party legitimacy, and the interplay between media, public opinion, and democratic institutions.

Dr. Giebler has led interdisciplinary teams and secured funding from the DFG, BMBF, and EU initiatives. His publications span high-impact journals like Party Politics, West European Politics, and British Journal of Political Science, with a focus on electoral dynamics, party competition, and the challenges to representative democracy.

He collaborates with institutions such as the Democracy Barometer (NCCR Democracy) and the Sydney Democracy Initiative, reflecting his commitment to comparative and transnational research. His current projects address contestations of democratic norms, populism, and the societal impacts of crises on political trust and participation.