Klein, Barbara

Barbara Klein is professor for organization and management in social work at the Fachhochschule Frankfurt am Main – University of Applied Sciences in Germany (FH FFM) and Visiting Professor at Northumbria University in Newcastle, UK. Her research focusses on assistive technologies and service development in the healthcare sector. She developed and implemented an independent living center displaying assistive technologies such as innovative light concepts, sensor-based assistive devices and emotional and social robots. For that she is currently conceptualizing and generating cross media-contents. The Independent Living Centre was honored by the Hesse National Award for Universal Design Recognition (Hessischer Staatspreis für Universelles Design Anerkennung).

Barbara studied at universities in Mainz, Frankfurt and London and graduated as Dipl.-Soz. at the Goethe-University in Frankfurt in 1984. Here she completed her doctorate (Dr. phil) in 1994. More than 20 years Barbara worked at the Fraunhofer Society, Europe´s largest applied research institution. From 1994-1995 she had a Marie-Curie scholarship and did research and lecturing on quality assurance in the nursing care sector at the University of Stirling, UK. Coming back to Germany she established a market focus unit “Public Health” at the Fraunhofer IAO. Since 2007 she is professor at the FH FFM and was vice dean from 2009-2012.

Currently Barbara establishes a network on emotional and social robotics in order to generate and share knowledge on application fields and effects on well-being and quality of life.