Since September 2026, Elisabeth Does has been Managing Director of iff and is responsible for the Institute’s operational and strategic management.

Elisabeth Does is an economist and philosopher. She received her doctorate from the University of Zurich with a dissertation in the philosophy of science on theoretical and methodological pluralism in the economic and social sciences. Before joining iff, she held a postdoctoral position at the Academy for Responsible Research, Teaching, and Innovation (ARRTI) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). There, she worked in an interdisciplinary and application-oriented setting on questions of technology ethics, the integration of sustainability, and science communication. She has particular expertise in developing research-based guidelines.

At iff, one of her key priorities is to strengthen the visibility and role of research-based consumer protection in Germany, as well as the Institute’s role as a bridge between academia, business, policymakers, and consumer protection organisations.

Previous Research Areas

Science Communication and Social Polarisation

The interdisciplinary collaborative research project “Moralisation in Science Communication” (MoWiKo) examines the causes, forms, and effects of moralising language in public debates on science and technology. One of the project’s outcomes will be a set of guidelines for communicating value-related questions in public debates in ways that promote mutual understanding rather than polarisation. Particular attention is also paid to consumer protection organisations and their communication practices within this research project.

For the “MoWiKo” project website, see here.

Working Papers:

Does, E., Milchram, C., Klaassen, A., Hillerbrand, R.: Types of moralizing in discourse on social-scientific issues: descriptive and normative evaluation tools

Does, E., Hillerbrand, R., Milchram, C. & Klaassen, A.: Guidelines for responsible science communication on moral aspects of social-scientific issues

Sustainability in Product Development

Publications:

Jaeckle, M., Does, E., Tusch, L., & Albers, A. (2025). Sustainability in product engineering – a guide to initiate targeted sustainability action. Proceedings of the Design Society, 5, 2961–2970.

Jaeckle, M., Klippert, M., Does, E., Herrmann, S. & Albers, A.: Sustainability in Product Engineering – Evaluation of a Guide for Decision Makers to Initiate Targeted Action (forthcoming)

Ethical Standards in Innovative Research and Development Formats

For the “Ethics in Living Labs” project website, see here.

Publications:

Reflection Guidelines for Responsible Research and Innovation in Living Labs (see here)

Code of Ethics for Real World Labs for Sustainability (see here)

Dusseldorp, M., Does, E., Hillerbrand, R., & Parodi, O. (2024). How to develop a Code of Ethics for real-world labs. GAIA – Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 33(4), 397–406.

Philosophy-of-Science Foundations of Problem- and Application-Oriented Research

Publications:

Does, E. (2022). Pragmatist Perspectives on Pluralism in Organization Theory. (Dissertation, University of Zurich) https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-212784