Organisation and committees

Association for Municipal Research

Difu is a non-profit limited company under German law with its head office in Berlin. Its sole shareholder is the Association for Municipal Research (Verein für Kommunalwissenschaften, VfK). Its members are nominated by the Association of German Cities and the State of Berlin. read more

Academic advisory board

The academic advisory board advises the management and the shareholders’ meetings on specialist and strategical matters. The advisory board has 17 members. They include representatives from academia, practice, various German ministries and the State of Berlin. read more

Organisation of Difu

Difu is organised into four research departments and three service departments.

Organisation chart (PDF, 104 kB)

Institute management

Difu is headed by a dual leadership team: the Scientific Director and the Managing Director. They set the institute’s strategic course and are responsible for its work. They represent Difu, supported by two authorized signatories. The management team is appointed and dismissed by the shareholder’s meeting for a maximum term of six years in each case.

Prof. Dr. Jochen Monstadt

Scientific Director and Managing Director

Katherine Kaplan, LL.M.

Managing Director

Dipl.-Geogr. Luise Adrian 

Authorised Officer, Member of the Institute Management 

Dr. Jens Libbe 

Head of Department, Authorised Officer, Member of the Institute Management 

Dipl.-Geogr. Ulrike Wolf

Head of Department, Authorised Officer, Member of the Institute Management