Stephan A. Jansen

Stephan A. Jansen serves as Professor of Management, Innovation & Finance and Director of the Center for Philanthropy & Civil Society (PhiCS) at Karlshochschule in Karlsruhe, alongside holding a professorship in Urban Innovation – Health, Mobility, Digitization at the College of Fine Arts Berlin. He concurrently acts as founding coordinator of the Digital Urban Center for Aging & Health (DUCAH) and associated researcher at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet & Society (HIIG).

His academic foundation was established at the University of Witten/Herdecke where he completed studies in 1997 and earned his doctorate in 2003 under Prof. Dr. Dirk Baecker, Prof. Dr. Birger Priddat, and Prof. Dr. Rudolf Wimmer. This institution also hosted his founding of the Institute for Mergers & Acquisitions (IMA), recognized as University Innovation of the Year.

Operating through sociological systems theory and behavioral organization theory frameworks, Jansen's research critically examines organizational networks, digital transformation, and urban innovation systems. His current work pioneers intersections between health infrastructure, sustainable mobility solutions, and digital citizenship in aging societies, emphasizing practical applications for resilient city design and post-digital humanism. This manifests in initiatives like DUCAH's technology-integrated aging environments and analyses of mobility-as-a-service ecosystems.

His recent publications reveal a concentrated exploration of post-pandemic urban restructuring, particularly examining how digital tools reshape aging experiences and mobility patterns. Key thematic clusters include human-centered digital evolution (Humanism 5.0), health-oriented urban mobility systems, and resilient supply chain reconfiguration - all demonstrating his commitment to translating theoretical frameworks into tangible urban solutions.

Notable recognitions include:

• University Innovation of the Year award from Federal Minister Edelgard Buhlmann
• German Bicycle Award 2020 for corporate mobility innovation
• Inclusion in Thinkers 50 global ranking since 2016

His advisory ecosystem spans federal policy (Federal Chancellor's Innovationsdialog, Federal Ministry of Education and Research's Forschungsunion), corporate strategy (AUDI, BASF, Bayer), and nonprofit leadership (Caritas, GIZ). Supported by two decades of scholarship funding from Herbert Quandt-Foundation, Fullbright, and German Academic Exchange Service, he mentors emerging scholars through institutional frameworks while directing PhiCS's philanthropic research agenda.

Jansen anchors his operational infrastructure through DUCAH's interdisciplinary aging-tech research hub and co-founded "Das 18te Kamel & Komplizen GmbH" (The 18th Camel & Accomplices), which implements digital-social transformation projects across Berlin, Hamburg, and Vienna for major clients including Lufthansa and Otto Group. His BICICLI Holding GmbH venture operationalizes urban mobility concepts through award-winning corporate bike-sharing systems.