The WZB Mourns for Roland Habich

On April 24, our long-standing and highly esteemed colleague Roland Habich suddenly and unexpectedly passed away.

He joined the WZB in 1988, initially as an academic assistant and  research coordinator in the research unit on Social Structure and Social Reporting, and most recently as the head of Central Data Management. For almost three decades, he was responsible for editing and co-publishing the Datenreport  that the WZB jointly publishes with the Federal Office of Statistics and the Federal Agency for Civic Education. These social reports were always received with great interest by politicians and the general public. We deeply mourn his death. Our sympathies go to his wife and family, and all the colleagues who knew and cared for him.

Roland Habich was born in 1953 in Weiher in the district of Karlsruhe. In 1974, he began studying sociology at the University of Mannheim with advisor Wolfgang Zapf, whom he followed to the WZB in 1988. He demonstrated an unswerving commitment to professional training at the WZB and took special care of the trainees in the field of market and social research. He worked closely with the German Data Forum (RatSWD)to make many previously inaccessible data collections available for research purposes. The council will henceforth be located at the WZB. Roland Habich was a committed and conscientious data protection officer. He served as a juryman for many years with similar dedication and a strong sense of responsibility.

Roland Habich’s magnanimous character was as impressive as his professional and institutional commitment. We will miss his affectionate way of working with his colleagues, his wise counsel, and his constant readiness to help.