We are an interdisciplinary team of about twenty employees who carry out evaluation, research and consulting work covering a wide variety of subject areas. All assignments are carried out by a team of at least two members. This enables us to ensure an ideal blend of expertise on methods and subject-matter, and to maintain personal continuity.
ANDREAS BALTHASAR, PROF. DR.
Ph.D. Political Science
Head of the Institute and founder of Interface
Areas of expertise
Conception, follow-through, implementation and synthesis of evaluation
Andreas Balthasar studied economics and economic history at the University of Bern, going on to become an associate at the Research Center for the History and Sociology of Swiss Politics at the University of Bern. In 1985, Andreas Balthasar obtained his doctorate under Professor E. Gruner, holder of the Chair in Social History and Sociology of Swiss Politics. In spring 2007, he was awarded a lectureship in the Social Sciences Faculty of the University of Bern.
Andreas Balthasar founded the private Institute Interface in Lucerne in 1991. Since then, he has completed about one hundred evaluations. As well as heading the institute, he mainly acts as an evaluation consultant to various offices of the Swiss Federal Government. His activities also focus on research in the field of social and health policy together with project management for a highly varied range of evaluations.
From 1987 until 2005, Andreas Balthasar held a lectureship at the Institute of Political Science in the University of Bern. He also has directed various advanced training courses on the subject of evaluation. In 2007, he was appointed as lecturer at the Institute of Policy Studies, University of Lucerne.
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OLIVER BIERI, DR. PHIL. I
Ph.D. Sociology
Head of the „Social Security and Integration“ Area
Head of the Competence Center of Surveys
Areas of expertise
Social policy, unemployment insurance, quantitative methods
Oliver Bieri studied sociology and political science at the University of Zurich. He has worked as a research associate at Interface since 1997 and has been Head of the Social Security and Integration Area since 2007. His work on evaluation and research projects involves subjects related to social security. His research, evaluation and consulting work focuses in particular on unemployment insurance and social transfer payments to guarantee a basic standard of living. He also heads the Institute's internal competence centre for 'Quantitative Methods' and he provides support for projects in which quantitative methods of analysis are used.
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RUTH FELLER-LäNZLINGER, LIC. PHIL. I
M.A. Eduational Science
Head of the "Education and Family" Area
Areas of expertise
Educational and family policy
Ruth Feller-Länzlinger studied education, educational psychology, environmental sciences and theology at the University of Freiburg and she is a primary school teacher. She has been working for Interface since 2003 and has been Head of the 'Education and Family' Area since 2006. In educational policy, she focuses on evaluations concerned with national and cantonal education reforms, vocational training and school development. She is also active in providing consultancy for schools. She conducts executive courses for school principals on the planning and implementation of in-school self-evaluations at the Lucerne Teacher Training University. She also has experience of teaching at primary school. In the family policy sector, her work includes clarifying requirements for child care in addition to care provided at school and in the family, at commune and municipality level. Finally, she works on the educational quality of children's creches and other forms of care.
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CORNELIA FURRER, LIC. SC.ES POL.
M.A. Political Science
Head of the "Health" Area
Head of the "Health" Area
Areas of expertise
Health and social policy
Cornelia Furrer was a physiotherapist and she studied political science at the Universities of Lausanne and Aix-en-Provence (France). She began working as a research associate at Interface in 1998 and she has headed the 'Health' area since 2004. Her main subject areas include evaluations of measures related to addiction prevention as well as preventive healthcare. In connection with a consulting assignment, she also works on the subject of quality management in the healthcare sector.
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UELI HAEFELI, PROF. DR.
Ph.D. History
Head of the "Transport, Environment and Energy" Area
Areas of expertise
Transport, evaluation, sustainability, technology assessment
Ueli Haefeli studied history, psychology and musicology at the University of Bern. From 1990 until 2001, he worked as assistant / senior assistant at the Interdisciplinary Center for General Ecology of the University of Bern. In 1994, he gained his doctorate under Professor Christian Pfister (Department of Economic, Social and Environmental History), followed by his appointment as Lecturer in Contemporary History in 2007. Ueli Haefeli has worked for Interface since 2001, and as a partner in the limited company (GmbH) he heads the Transport, Environment and Energy Area, specializing in transport issues. His key subject areas include evaluation of transport projects, analysis of transport trends and mobility behavior, as well as sustainability issues and mobility consulting. In addition, he regularly conducts evalua-tions of projects in the fields of the environment, energy and regional development. Ueli Haefeli holds a private lectureship at the University of Bern and has also been a lecturer at the Business and Economics College in Lucerne since 1998.
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STEFAN RIEDER, DR. RER. POL.
Ph.D. Political Economy
Head of the " Organization and Public Management" Area
Head of the " Organization and Public Management" Area
Areas of expertise
Energie policy, administrative reforms, evalution
Stefan Rieder studied economics and political science at the Faculty of Law and Economics of the University of Bern. He was a research associate at the Research Center for the History and Sociology of Swiss Politics at the University of Bern from 1991 until 1992. After a period of research in Germany funded by a study grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation, he obtained his doctorate with a dissertation entitled 'Government and reaction in energy policy. A comparison of the strategies of Denmark, Schleswig-Holstein and Switzerland' under Prof. Wolf Linder at the University of Bern. Since 1994, Stefan Rieder has worked at Interface as a specialist in population and policy studies. He heads the Organization and Public Management Area and is a co-owner of the company. His work focuses on the reform of public administrative organizations and energy policy. In particular, he acts as an evaluator and consultant for the planning and implementation of administrative reforms. Rieder has over 15 years' experience in the evaluation of policy programs, especially in the energy sector. He is a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences of Central Switzerland.
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MARTIN BIEBRICHER, DIPL.-PäD., DIPL.-SOZ.ARB.
M.A. Social Sciences
Areas of expertise
Educational and family policy, youth policy
Martin Biebricher studied social work at Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences, and also social and educational sciences at the Universities of Wuppertal and Siegen (Germany). After completing his first study course, he was initially employed as a social worker in the Youth and Family Support Service of the Essen Youth Agency (Germany). After further posts as a research associate at Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences and Lecturer at the Nursing Professions College of the Essen University Clinic, Martin Biebricher went on to work as a project manager for the Bertelsmann Foundation in Gütersloh (Germany). He was assigned to coordinate a nationwide research project on the participation of children and young people and on follow-through for organisational development processes at local authority level. Since October 2006, Martin Biebricher has worked for Interface as a research associate. His work focuses on youth, educational and family policy, together with issues regarding the participation of children and young people.
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CAROLINE BIRRER
Areas of expertise
Proofreading and Marketing
Caroline Birrer trained as a nurse (obtaining the Certificate of General Nursing) and she has many years' professional experience in the field of administration and culture. During the summer of 2002, she took a commercial training course while in post (Swiss Federation of Commercial Schools Diploma and Swiss IT Certificate (SIZ) user), followed in winter 2005 by successful completion of further training as a Marketing Assistant. She has been working for Interface since 2001. She is responsible for general secretarial work, marketing, editing and revising reports and compiling and updating the Homepage.
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ROLAND BLäTTLER
Areas of expertise
Library, archive
After completing a basic course in German studies, Roland Blättler worked as a proof-reader for a daily newspaper and as an external freelance for book-publishing companies. As Inter-Library Loans Assistant in the Lucerne Central and College Library, his responsibilities included searching for and purchasing scientific and academic literature. Since 1999, he has been working for Interface where he deals with every aspect of searching, archiving, bibliography and proofreading.
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MIRJAM BüRGI, LIC. PHIL. I
Sociologist
Areas of expertise
Education and family policy
Mirjam Bürgi studied Sociology, Journalism and Criminology at the University of Zurich. In her licentiate dissertation concerning the Comparative Democratic Concept of Arend Lijphart, she was engaged in the investigation of Democracy by Majority and Democracy by Consensus, an area in which she successfully completed her course of study in 2007. As a primary school teacher she has acquired the necessary teaching skills with regard to all elementary school levels. Mirjam Bürgi has been working as a research associate at Interface since 2004, collaborating in the area of Education and Family Policy.
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SARAH FäSSLER, LIC. èS SCIENCES SOCIALES + DEA SCIENCES POL.
M.A. Sociology and M.A. Political Science
Areas of expertise
Health policy
Sarah Fässler studied social sciences in Lausanne and obtained a master's degree in political science from the Universities of Geneva and Lausanne. As a research associate at the University of Lausanne, she was working on a project supporting the introduction of Bachelor’s degree programs in social sciences involving a study of African micro-health insurance schemes in cooperation with the International Labour Organization. She worked for one year as a scientific trainee at Interface and since March 2007, she has been working as a research associate in the Health Area.
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BASIL GYSIN, LIC. OEC. PUBL.
M.A. Economy
Areas of expertise
Social policy
Basil Gysin studied economics at the University of Zurich, specializing in business and politics. He completed his studies at the end of 2006 with a degree dissertation on 'An international comparison of demand for income redistribution'. During and after his studies, he acquired initial professional experience in the taxation department of a fiduciary office. Since 2007, he has been a research associate at Interface, working primarily in the Social Security and Integration Area.
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SABINA KNEUBüHLER
Areas of expertise
Personnel and Finance
Sabina Kneubühler joined Interface in 1999 and is assistant to the head of the institute. After obtaining her school-leaving certificate, she completed a course in marketing at the Swiss Marketing and Advertising Institute (SAWI) in Biel, and she has many years of experience as a secretary. She completed the two-year correspondence course in proofreading (German and theory) at the Paritätische Berufsbildungsstelle für visuelle Kommunikation (PBS). She is responsible for proofreading/editing reports and presentations. In addition, she is in charge of bookkeeping and personnel matters.
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FLURINA LANDIS, LIC. ES SC. POL.
M.A. Political Science
Areas of expertise
Regional policy, environmental and transport
Flurina Landis studied political science at the University of Lausanne. She has been working as a research associate at Interface since 2004, collaborating in the Transport and Environment Area and also in the field of Organization and Public Management. 2010 she obtained the certificate of advanced studies in sustainable development at the University of Bern.
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DANIEL MATTI, LIC. PHIL. NAT., NDS EVALUATION
M.S. Geography
Project manager
Areas of expertise
Environmental and regional policy, transport
Daniel Matti is a geographer who has worked as a research associate at Interface since 2002. His work focuses on the Transport, Environment and Regional Policy Areas. For several years, Daniel Matti has held a lectureship in support for environmental and transportation projects at the University of Bern. Alongside his work, Daniel Matti recently completed a postgraduate course on evaluation, obtaining a diploma of advanced studies. He has many years of experience in the scientific evaluation of restructuring measures for road areas.
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FRANZISKA MüLLER, LIC. RER. SOC., NDS EVALUATION
M.A. Sociology
Project manager
Areas of expertise
Social policy, equal opportunities, migration policy
Franziska Müller studied sociology and public law at the University of Bern. In addition, she completed a postgraduate course on evaluation at the University of Bern. She has been working as a research associate at Interface since 2001. Her work on evaluation and research projects focuses on the subject of social security for disability and unemployment, and she also deals with gender- and migration-specific issues.
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MANUELA OETTERLI, DIPL. NATW. ETH UND MPH
Environmental Science and Master of Public Health
Project manager
Areas of expertise
Health, the environment, transport
After working for the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health for four years, Manuela Oetterli joined Interface as a research associate in 2002. Her work on evaluations and research projects focuses in particular on issues in the public health sector and on various topics related to environmental and transport policy.
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CHRISTOF SCHWENKEL, DIPL. VERW.-WISS.
M.A. in Administrative Science
Areas of expertise
Administrative reforms, Energie policy, Transport, Environmental policy
Christof Schwenkel studied at the Universities of Konstanz, Prague and Bordeaux, graduating with an M.A. in administrative science in 2007. His degree dissertation analyzed administrative reforms in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He acquired experience of evaluations and consulting services during a practical internship at Rambøll Management GmbH in Hamburg. As a research associate at Interface since 2007, he works mainly in the Organization and Public Management and Transport, Environment and Energy Areas.
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DAVID WALKER, DIPL. FORSTING. ETH
Forestry Engineer
Areas of expertise
Environmental and energy policy
David Walker studied Forestry at the ETH Zurich. After completing his studies he worked as a consultant with GEO Partner AG Resource Management, in the timber industry with the Timber Industry Group Tembec Industries Inc. in Canada and as a scientific research assistant in the Forestry Department of the Federal Ministry of Environment. In 2007 he was engaged as a scientific research assistant at the ETH in Zurich in the scope of an interdisciplinary research project concerning the utilisation of the Zambezi River. David Walker completed his post-graduate course in Applied Statistics at the University of Bern. For several years he has been studying further by visiting courses and lectures in Economics and Political Science. Since 2008 he has been a scientific research assistant with Interface.
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NORA WIGHT, LIC. PHIL. I
Political Scientist
Areas of expertise
Health policy
Nora Wight studied Political Science and Political Economics at the University of Zurich. In her licentiate dissertation she investigated the awarding criteria of the Swiss Development Aid using quantitative analytical methods. She successfully completed her course of study at the beginning of 2008. Nora Wight worked for one year as a scientific trainee at Interface and since Avril 2009, she has been working as a research associate.
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LEADERSHIP
Andreas Balthasar
Oliver Bieri
Ruth Feller-Länzlinger
Cornelia Furrer
Ueli Haefeli
Stefan Rieder
MEMBER OF STAFFMartin Biebricher
Caroline Birrer
Roland Blättler
Mirjam Bürgi
Sarah Fässler
Basil Gysin
Sabina Kneubühler
Flurina Landis
Daniel Matti
Franziska Müller
Manuela Oetterli
Christof Schwenkel
David Walker
Nora Wight
Andreas BalthasarOliver BieriRuth Feller-LänzlingerCornelia FurrerUeli HaefeliStefan RiederMEMBER OF STAFF
Martin BiebricherCaroline BirrerRoland BlättlerMirjam BürgiSarah FässlerBasil GysinSabina KneubühlerFlurina LandisDaniel MattiFranziska MüllerManuela OetterliChristof SchwenkelDavid WalkerNora Wight