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History of the institute

Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Arbeitsphysiologie
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Arbeitsphysiologie

1912
Foundation in Berlin as Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Arbeitsphysiologie

1929
Relocation to Dortmund in order to be near to the steal- and mining industry

1942
Evacuation and destruction during World War II

1946
Rebuilding (1946-1951) and transformation into the Max-Planck-Institut für Arbeitsphysiologie

1967-1969
Division into the Max Planck Institute for System Physiology and the newly founded Institute for Occupational Physiology at the University of Dortmund – IfADo with the sponsorship of the Research Society for Occupational Physiology and Occupational Safety e.V. (Forschungsgesellschaft für Arbeitsphysiologie und Arbeitsschutz e.V. ) founded in 1969

1970
Laying of the foundation stone at Ardeystraße

1977
Added on to the “Blaue Liste”, today’s Leibniz Association

1987
Appreciation as “WHO Collaborating Centre for Occupational Health” of the World Health Organisation (1987-2020)

2009
Renamed  into “Leibniz Institut für Arbeitsforschung an der TU Dortmund” (English: Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors) to express the multidisciplinary character of the Institute and to emphasise its affiliation with the Leibniz Association

Cooperation with the Gesellschaft für Arbeitswissenschaften (GfA)

From 1985 to 2021, the IfADo was the headquarter of the Gesellschaft für Arbeitswissenschaften - GfA (Society for Occupational Sciences) and subsequently carried out its management (Executive Board members: Prof. em. Dr. Andreas Seeber, Prof. Dr. Martin Schütte, PD Dr.-Ing. Matthias Jäger).