Director, German Research Foundation (DFG), India Office,

Since April 2009 Dr. Torsten Fischer (DCE) is the Director of the India Office of the German Research Foundation (DFG). He joined DFG Bonn in January 2004 as a Programme Officer for the Social Sciences and Humanities Unit (Educational Sciences, Literature, Social Anthropology) and in February 2005 joined the International Affairs Department of the DFG and was looking after the Coordination of Strategy and actions with the European Science Foundation, Central European Countries and France. During June 2007 to March 2009 he was the National Expert for the organization of the Social Sciences peer-review panel at the European Research Council (ERC).

Dr. Fischer completed his Master's studies in French / History from the Universities Kiel (Germany) and Brest (Bretagne Occidentale) Laval / Qubébec. In May 2002 he completed his D.E.A. in Modern and Contemporary History from University Lyon (France), and in January 2004 obtained his PhD (Doctor Communitatis Europe) summa cum laude, from Kiel, Lyon and King's College Aberdeen with a thesis on History of Poverty in Early Modern Europe. While engaged in his doctoral studies, Dr. Fischer had the opportunity of working for short durations at the European Science Foundation (ESF), and European Parliament in Strasburg.