Matthias Grünke, Ph.D.

Full Professor and Chair

Address: Department of Special Education & Rehabilitation, Klosterstr. 79b (Office: 334), 50931 Cologne, Germany

Phone: 0049-221-4705547
E-Mail: matthias.gruenke@uni-koeln.de

Matthias Grünke is a full professor of Special Education at the University of Cologne and a visiting professor at the University of Sunderland. Before his current assignments, he was a full professor at the University of Oldenburg and a substitute professor at the University of Leipzig. He received his master’s degree in Psychology from the University of Erlangen-Nuremburg and his Ed.D. (“summa cum laude”) as well as his postdoctoral degree in Special Education from the University of Cologne. Dr. Grünke is a trained Montessori educator and behavior therapist. His research focuses on the efficacy of teaching methods and on learning strategies for children and youth who struggle in school.

Since 2000, Dr. Grünke has published more than 200 scholarly articles and books. During the same time, he has presented over 200 papers and posters at professional conferences. He is the editor of:

• Empirische Sonderpädagogik,
• Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal,
• Insights into Learning Disabilities and
• the International Journal of Research in Learning Disabilities.

In addition, he serves on several editorial boards (including the British Journal of Learning Disabilities, the Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and Psicothema).

Dr. Grünke is the publication chair of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities (IARLD), the immediate past president of Learning Disabilities Worldwide (LDW), the chair of the professional advisory board of the same organization, and a founder member of the German Center for Empirical Inclusion Research (ZEIF). He has served as a consultant for the German Federal Department of Education and Research (BMBF), the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), and other renowned institutions. Dr. Grünke has conducted a number of research projects sponsored by different privately operated and governmental funds (including one with a funding volume of more than €1.000.000).

In 2010, he received the badge of honor from the University of Beni Suef in Egypt for his merits in special education and for supporting scientific relations between Egypt and Germany.