Joanna Pfaff-Czarnecka

Pfaff-Czarnecka has engaged in several academic administration and offices: she was President of the Swiss Society of Social Anthropology (1996-1999); Pro-Vice-Rector of Bielefeld University (2007-2009); member of the Commission 38 of the CNRS (France; 2004-2007); Dean of the Faculty of Sociology at Bielefeld University (2018-19); Co-Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (Bielefeld University; 2011-2019) and senate member of the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Pfaff-Czarnecka worked at the Institute of Social Anthropology of the University of Zurich between 1983 and 1999 as scientific assistant, lecturer, reader and research fellow. Between 1989 and 1999, she also worked as development expert and as translator for the International Committee of the Red Cross. In the years 1999-2001 she acted as scientific collaborator and deputy director at the Center for Development Research at the University of Bonn. She was appointed as full university professor at Bielefeld University (chair in Social Anthropology) in 2001. She has also taught at the universities of Bern, Oxford, Tokyo and Katmandu and held several international Visiting Fellowships and professorships.

Joanna Pfaff-Czarnecka (born: 20 July 1956) is a university professor in the Faculty of Sociology at Bielefeld University, Germany. She is a former Pro-Vice-Rector at Bielefeld University and former Dean of the Faculty of Sociology at the University.

Pfaff-Czarnecka was born in Warsaw, Poland to Janina (1932-2019) and Jerzy Czarnecki (1924-2007). The family moved to Switzerland in 1972. Between 1975 and 1983 Pfaff-Czarnecka studied social anthropology, law, communication studies, European anthropology and art history at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and also completed a doctoral degree there.