Dr. Jonas Gobert

What made you decide to work at ifok? 

At ifok, answering this question is easy and satisfying for me: we deal with the most important questions of our times. Work doesn’t get more meaningful than this. You always need to be pushing yourself a little bit here – as soon as you have mastered your tasks and slipped into a routine, you get a new project or task that forces you to re-think. The learning curve is steep. 

When did you start at ifok and where were you previously?

I have been at IFOK since 2016. Before then, I wrote my PhD on the participation of associations (in policy-making) at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, for which I was awarded the WISAG Dissertation Prize. I have also gained experience at the University of Kassel, in New York at the US Office for Economic Development for the German state of Hessen, at the GIZ and as a consultant at a PR agency. 

What sets you apart at the office? 

I really love capturing new, crazy ideas and transforming them into practical reality, working together in a team of partners from different disciplines and corners of the world to drive forward issues and then going home happy and exhausted at the end of the evening. My colleagues say that I exude a sense of peace and calm. 

What do you especially like doing in your free time? 

While the children are sleeping, I do a deep dive into the philosophy of science. It’s all about fascinating questions like “how do we explain the Raben paradox?” “How can artificial intelligence climb the ladder of causality?

How do you put sustainability into practice in everyday life?  

My use of transport is especially sustainable. I don’t have a driver’s license and I always use either my bike, public transport or walk to get around.