معرفی
Professor Tobias Hecker is a Full Professor of Clinical Psychology & Violence Research at Bielefeld University, Germany, where he also serves as Deputy Scientific Director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Conflict and Violence Research. His work focuses on understanding and preventing violence, particularly against children, in various contexts including conflict zones and refugee settings.
He received his PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) summa cum laude from the University of Konstanz in 2013 and completed his Diploma (MSc) in Psychology at Philipps University of Marburg in 2011. He is licensed to practice psychotherapy with both children/adolescents (since 2020) and adults (since 2019).
Professor Hecker's research primarily centers on violence against children, exploring its global prevalence, underlying drivers, psychological consequences, and evidence-based prevention strategies. His work spans multiple continents, with significant research conducted in East Africa, particularly Tanzania, focusing on child abuse and neglect, psychological trauma, and mental health in conflict and crisis regions. He employs both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to investigate how violence exposure affects mental health outcomes across different cultural contexts.
His extensive publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on understanding the complex relationships between violence exposure, trauma, and mental health outcomes, particularly among vulnerable populations such as refugees, children in institutional care, and those living in conflict zones. His research often examines protective factors that can mitigate the negative effects of violence exposure, with a particular interest in caregiver relationships and community-level interventions.
- Full Professorship (W3) offer for Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology at Otto-Friedrich-University of Bamberg (declined, 2023)
- Full Professorship (W3) offer for Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy at University of Mannheim (declined, 2022)
- Membership in the Junge Kolleg of North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Science and the Arts (2021-2023)
- Admission to the Emmy Noether Program of German Research Foundation (DFG, 2020)
- Postdoctoral Fellow of Daimler and Benz Foundation (2019/2020)
- Junior Professorship offer for Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology at University of Witten-Herdecke (declined, 2019)
- Nomination for academics Young Scientist Prize: Young Scientist of the Year (Top 10 Position, 2018)
- DeGPT Advancement Award of Falk-von-Reichenbach Foundation and German-Speaking Society of Psychotraumatology (2017)
- Poster award at DGPPN, Berlin for study on child maltreatment and DNA methylation (2014)
Professor Hecker leads multiple research projects funded by various organizations including the German Research Foundation (DFG), European Union, and federal government. His work includes large-scale studies on violence prevention in schools and families, particularly in Tanzania, as well as investigations into the epigenetic markers of trauma in refugee populations. He has developed and tested interventions such as the 'Interaction Competencies with Children' program aimed at reducing violence by teachers and parents.
He is affiliated with the Arbeitseinheit 17 - Klinische Psychologie und Gewaltforschung, Center for Uncertainty Studies (CeUS), and the Institute for Interdisciplinary Conflict and Violence Research at Bielefeld University, where he collaborates with a multidisciplinary team of researchers from psychology, sociology, and public health to address complex issues related to violence and trauma.
