Dr. Sandra Zimmermann

Head of Scientific Dialogue WifOR Institute

Author, lecturer, economist: Dr. Sandra Zimmermann is Head of Scientific Dialogue at WifOR Institute and part of the leadership team.

Dr. Sandra Zimmermann has over a decade of experience in scientific research at WifOR and advocate for a progressive, healthy, and innovative society – at both domestic and international level. As a vastly experienced macroeconomist, Dr. Zimmermann is committed to facilitating the transfer of knowledge from scientific research to a shared understanding among stakeholders throughout society. Furthermore, she acts as a sparring partner for each of WifOR’s research areas, driving the conceptualization and development of innovative projects.

In recent years, she has spoken at events including the G20’s Health Summit. As an expert in international social policy, she has also regularly given interviews to media, such as Deutsche Welle, ZEIT Online, and ARD.

Dr. Sandra Zimmermann is a member of the German Association for Social Policy Research (VfS) and the German Association for Social Science Labor Market Research (SAMF). She studied in Würzburg and wrote her doctoral thesis on the impact of non-market activities on material well-being and income distribution in Germany. She was born in Bamberg in 1983 and lives in Darmstadt.

Work longer due to studies? Newspapers of Mediengruppe Bayern (in German), June 19th, 2025 Read article Irreplaceable even with AI: Which jobs have a future in Germany? Tagesspiegel (in German) on May 1st, 2025 Read article Who can do what in the Bundestag? This list shows the professions of the members of parliament WELT (in German) on June 20th, 2025 Read article Tagesspiegel expert panel for the German federal elections Article series (in German) from December 2024 until March 2025 Article overview How great will the demand for skilled workers be in the future? Radio Bremen Zwei (in German) on October 8th, 2024 Listen to the interview Passauer Neue Presse SZ Tagesspiegel Expertenrunde Tagesspiegel Zukunft Jobs KI Welt Bundestag Jobs SZ Radio Bremen Zwei SZ

Academic Background & Research Focus

  • Dr. rer. pol. at the University of Koblenz Landau
  • Diploma in Economics at the Bavarian Julius-Maximilians University of Würzburg (Germany), University of Umeå (Sweden)
  • Macroeconomic labor market research
  • Regional and industry-specific labor shortage analysis
  • Digitalization and professional skills development
  • Gender dimensions in labor market and social policy research
  • Quantification of non-market activities
  • Regional-specific Health Economy analysis and Health Economy Reporting