Kirsten Aner

Professor Kirsten Aner is a distinguished academic specializing in gerontology at the University of Kassel, where she holds a professorship in the Department of Human Sciences, Institute of Social Welfare, focusing on "Life situations and aging" since 2012.

Her educational background spans multiple disciplines:

• Doctorate in Social Work/Social Pedagogy from University of Kassel (2005)
• Habilitation on "Social Counseling and Aging" (2009)
• Studies in animal production and agricultural engineering at Humboldt University Berlin

Professor Aner's research centers on Critical Gerontology, with particular emphasis on how social inequality affects aging populations. Her approach examines both how to emancipate people from exclusionary discourses about aging and how social inequality is reconstructed in aging societies. She employs both quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate demographic and structural changes related to aging, viewing "age(ing)" as an interdisciplinary crosscutting topic requiring multiple academic perspectives.

Her leadership roles include serving as President of the German Society for Gerontology and Geriatrics since 2022 and as Co-editor of the Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics.

• President of German Society for Gerontology and Geriatrics (2022-2024)
• Co-editor of Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics (ZGG)
• Member of advisory boards for Soziale Passagen and Sozial Extra

Professor Aner values both basic and applied research equally, particularly participation-oriented projects that directly engage communities. Her work bridges theoretical gerontology with practical social work applications, focusing on social (geriatric) work and the intersection of aging with social class structures.