The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) has expanded the management of its Research Institute. Effective January 2026, two of its senior researchers will support Otto Wolff Director Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff as deputy research directors.
Berlin, January 6, 2026. By expanding its management team to include Dr. Kira Vinke and Dr. Patrick Keller, DGAP has responded to the increasing complexity of foreign policy challenges while sharpening the profile of its Research Institute.
Kira Vinke, Head of the Center for Climate and Foreign Policy, and Patrick Keller, Head of the Center for Security and Defense, will support DGAP’s director, focusing on the strategic development of DGAP’s Research Institute as well as the coordination of internal processes and external representation. Both bring many years of expertise in their respective fields, as well as esteemed international networks in research and politics, to their new roles.
“In these demanding times, I am very much looking forward to even closer collaboration with DGAP’s researchers,” said Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff.“ With Kira Vinke and Patrick Keller as deputy research directors, we are enhancing DGAP’s internal teamwork and external positioning. Both have already established themselves as important voices in our Research Institute, and I am very grateful to them for taking on this new challenge.”
DGAP's research centers remain unchanged in terms of their thematic focus and structure.
