Dr. Heide Hackmann is Executive Director of the International Social Science Council (ISSC), which was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in 1952. The ISSC represents the social, behavioural, and economic sciences at a global level, and aims to bring the best social science to bear on the biggest social challenges of our times.

Prior to being elected to lead the ISSC secretariat in 2006, Dr. Hackmann worked as a science policy maker, researcher and consultant in the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and South Africa. Her research has focused on science policy studies, the governance of science, and research evaluation. She read for a M.Phil in contemporary social theory at the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom), and holds a PhD in science and technology studies from the University of Twente (The Netherlands).