Dr Joann Halpern

Dr. Joann Halpern is the Chief Innovation Officer and Head of Global Partnerships at ZAMWILL and an adjunct professor of International Education in the Department of Applied Statistics, Social Science, and Humanities at New York University. She is also a Design Thinking coach and conducts Design Thinking and Designing Your Life workshops throughout the world. She has published articles as well as book chapters on the future of work, design thinking, and her upcoming book focuses on global careers. Dr. Halpern was the director of the Hasso Plattner Institute, New York (HPI) from 2018-2025. Prior to joining HPI, she was the founding director of the German Center for Research and Innovation (GCRI) in New York, which was created as a cornerstone of the German government’s initiative to internationalize science and research. In addition to teaching and administrative assignments at universities in the United States and Germany, Dr. Halpern co-founded Knowledge Transfer Beyond Boundaries, an NGO with projects in Cameroon, Nigeria, Yemen, and Antigua.

Dr. Halpern received her B.A. from Dartmouth College, her M.A. from Harvard University, and her Ph.D. from New York University. She has taught courses in global studies, international education, intercultural communication, Design Thinking, Business English, and German in the U.S. (Harvard University, Dartmouth College, New York University) and Germany (University of Magdeburg, Harz University). She is a recipient of the Harvard University Award for Distinction in Teaching as well as scholarships and fellowships from the Fulbright Commission, DAAD, Robert Bosch Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Halpern serves on the Hochschulrat of the Technical University of Dortmund and the External Advisory Board of Campana and Schott USA. She is also on the advisory boards of Ankh Impact Ventures, BRYCK Innovation Hub, the German Center for Research and Innovation, the University Alliance Ruhr, the Landesgraduiertenzentrum KI Heilbronn, and the External Advisory Board of the Tandon Institute for Invention, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship.