Dr. Tilman Altenburg
Dr. Tilman Altenburg, born in 1959, is the Co-Director of the research program "Transformation of Economic and Social Systems" with approximately 35 academic staff at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), one of the world's leading research institutes and think tanks for global development and international cooperation.
Tilman Altenburg completed his PhD in Economic Geography in Hamburg in 1991. Before joining IDOS (formerly: German Development Institute) in 1995, he worked as a research associate at the Free University of Berlin and at Philipps-University Marburg. Since 2000, he has been a department head.
He has conducted empirical research on economic development in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. His scientific interest lies in exploring how developing and emerging countries can shape economic policies to enhance their position in the global economy in socially integrative and environmentally sustainable ways. Currently, he is researching ecological structural policies, the industrial development potential of green hydrogen, and sustainability innovations in retail. He is one of the coordinators of the global research network "Sustainable Global Supply Chains."
Tilman Altenburg has led numerous, mostly international, research and consulting projects and published over a hundred academic articles. He regularly advises German ministries and international organizations such as the World Bank, UNDP, UNCTAD, and UNIDO. Since 2023, Tilman Altenburg has been participating as a guest in the meetings of the National Hydrogen Council.
