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 holds the position of full professor in Special Education at the University of Cologne and previously served as a visiting professor at the University of Sunderland for six years. Before his tenure at Cologne, he was a full professor at the University of Oldenburg and served as an interim professor at the University of Leipzig. Dr. Grünke completed his Bachelor's and his Master's degree in Psychology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. Subsequently, he enrolled in an extensive doctoral program in Special Education at the University of Cologne, which led to a PhD awarded 'summa cum laude'. He further obtained a postdoctoral degree in Special Education from the same institution. Dr. Grünke is a certified Montessori educator, behavior therapist, and client-centered counselor. His research primarily focuses on assessing the effectiveness of various teaching methods and learning strategies, particularly those aiding children and teenagers who face academic challenges.

Dr. Grünke has published more than 200 scholarly articles and books. He is currently the editor of:

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

Additionally, he serves on several editorial boards, including those of Behavioral Disorders, British Journal of Learning Disabilities, Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Psicothema, Reading & Writing Quartely, and Single-Case in the Social Sciences.

Dr. Grünke holds the position of Publication Chair at the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities (IARLD), serves as Vice-President of Learning Disabilities Worldwide (LDW), chairs the professional advisory board of the same organization, and is a founding member of the German Center for Empirical Inclusion Research (ZEIF). He has acted as a consultant for the German Federal Department of Education and Research (BMBF), the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), and other prestigious institutions. Dr. Grünke has led numerous research projects funded by various private and governmental sources, including one with a budget exceeding €1,000,000.

He was awarded the Badge of Honor from the University of Beni Suef in Egypt in recognition of his contributions to special education and for fostering scientific collaboration between Egypt and Germany. The University of Cologne honored him with the Jenny Gusyk Award for family-conscious leadership, acknowledging his active efforts to enhance the balance between family or caregiving responsibilities and professional work.