Joachim von Braun is Director of ZEF, Department of Economic and Technological Change.
He is an applied and agricultural economist, with a Doctoral degree from University of Goettingen, Germany. He joined ZEF in December 2009. He was also a Director at ZEF during its foundation phase 1997-2002.
Before returning to ZEF, von Braun was Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) based in Washington, DC, U.S.A. 2002 to 2009. von Braun also has been Professor for Food Economics and Policy at Kiel University, Germany.
His published research addresses international development economics topics, incl. science and technology; policy issues of trade and aid; poverty and famine; health, and nutrition, and a range of agricultural economics research issues.
von Braun serves on boards of publishers of journals, as well as international advisory bodies of research and policy organizations. 2000-03 he was President of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE), is member of Academies in Germany and China, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences; among awards received by von Braun are a honorary Doctoral degree from University of Hohenheim, and the Bertebos Prize of the Swedish Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

He joined IZA as a Research Fellow in July 2010.