Biography

Prof. Dr Ralf-Rainer Piesold

Prof. Dr Ralf-Rainer Piesold is a German public administration scholar specialising in digital transformation, e-government, information systems and human–computer interaction.

Born in Hanau, Germany, on 4 January 1958, he completed his secondary education at the Hohe Landesschule in Hanau in 1976. He subsequently studied economics, business administration and business education at Goethe University Frankfurt, graduating with the degrees Diplom-Kaufmann and Diplom-Handelslehrer. He received his doctorate (Dr. rer. pol.) from Goethe University Frankfurt for research in the field of computer-based education.

Academic career

Piesold has taught at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, formerly known as Fachhochschule Frankfurt, since 1991. From the summer semester of 2020 until the winter semester of 2025/26, he held an acting professorship in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management. Since February 2026, he has been an honorary professor for Digital Transformation in Public Administration.

His teaching and research focus on digital public administration, e-government, data-driven government, information systems and human–computer interaction. His current research interests also include artificial intelligence, conversational agents and photorealistic avatars as interfaces between citizens and public authorities.

Public service

Alongside his academic work, Piesold has extensive experience in local government. From 2007 to 2013, he served as a full-time municipal councillor (Stadtrat) in Hanau, acting as deputy to the mayor and holding responsibility for education, economic development, construction, the environment and international relations.

From 2016 to 2026, he also served as an honorary district councillor (Kreisbeigeordneter) in the Main-Kinzig district of Hesse.

His practical experience in local government informs his academic work on the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation in public administration.

Publications and research

Piesold is the author of books and academic publications on e-government, municipal management and digitalisation in the public sector. His work examines how technological developments, organisational structures and institutional conditions interact in the transformation of public administration.

He is particularly interested in the relationship between technology and people, and in how digital services can be designed to be effective, accessible and trustworthy for citizens.