The DRC team works closely with leading researchers and governmental organizations to ensure that insights generated through our research inform a wide range of activities, from civic education to policy advice, all with the aim of strengthening democratic resilience. The team consists of an organizational team, the Speaker, the Principal Investigators, and the Lead. Together, they collaborate horizontally and coordinate the activities of the DRC. Here, we introduce the Principal Investigators, the Lead and the organizational team.
Principal Investigators and Lead (Cluster wise)
Dr. Babis C. Karpouchtsis – Principal Investigator für Staat und Governance (Cluster I)
Dr. Karpouchtsis is a political scientist with a background in policy advising, foreign policy, and civic education. His research focuses on foreign policy, conflict resolution, strategic culture, and political narratives, as well as the impact of artificial intelligence in these fields and its role in fostering social cohesion. In his work on civic education, he is committed to developing educational programs that strengthen democratic awareness and social cohesion. Through his work, he seeks to bridge the gap between academic research and political engagement, empowering citizens to contribute to the development of resilient democratic societies.
PD Dr. Annika Krick – Principal Investigator für Führung und Organisation (Cluster II)
PD Dr. Annika Krick is an occupational, organizational, and business psychologist at the Helmut Schmidt University / University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg. Her research focuses on health-oriented leadership, digital and hybrid leadership, resilience and resource development, and workplace health management. A particular emphasis of her work lies in examining the impact of digital work environments on leadership, employee health, and well-being, as well as in the development and evaluation of evidence-based training and learning formats.
As the project lead of the dtec.bw project “Digital Leadership and Health”, she investigated how leaders and employees can shape digital workplaces in a healthy, effective, and sustainable way. In this context, she combines scientific research with practical application, including the development of the Digital Leadership Assistance Platform (DigiLAP) and the design of training and professional development programs for the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr), police organizations, and other institutions.
Through her research and knowledge-transfer activities, she aims to make scientific findings accessible and applicable in practice, supporting organizations and leaders in promoting health, performance, and resilience in an increasingly digital working world.
Dr. Henning Heinze – Principal Investigator für Individuum und Kompetenzen (Cluster III)
Dr. Henning Heinze is a psychologist and licensed psychological psychotherapist (cognitive behavioral therapy) and works as a research associate at the Chair of Developmental and Educational Psychology (Prof. Dr. Monika Daseking) at Helmut Schmidt University / University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg. He is also an affiliated researcher at the IDeA Center in Frankfurt am Main. His work lies at the intersection of developmental, clinical, and cognitive psychology. His research focuses on affective reactivity, self-regulation, intelligence, psychopathology across the lifespan, and resilience. He conceptualizes resilience as a dynamic adaptation process under stress that emerges from the interaction between individuals and their environment. A particular focus of his research is understanding how reactivity and regulatory capacities shape the impact of environmental demands and stressors, and under which conditions these influences lead either to maladjustment or successful adaptation.
Methodologically, he combines longitudinal and experimental approaches with advanced structural equation and network modeling techniques and consistently follows the principles of open science. In projects involving clinical, population-based, and military samples, he investigates, among other topics, how psychopathological characteristics and cognitive profiles differ across military and civilian contexts, and which factors determine whether psychological characteristics are ultimately classified as disorders. In doing so, he collaborates with international research partners, including the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the University of Groningen.
By integrating scientific research with clinical practice, he aims to improve the alignment of assessment and intervention approaches with the real-life and work contexts of individuals and to promote resilience where it emerges most naturally: through the fit between personal characteristics and the conditions of family life, education, work, and society.
Dr. Jill Long – Lead Executive Operations & International Research Fellows
Dr. Long, a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, brings more than 30 years of practical experience as a security professional and 15 years as a Senior Professor of Strategic Leadership to the Democratic Resilience Center. Dr. Long developed the Strategic Emergence Model™ providing a structure which guides strategic design for hybrid conflict and great power competition to connect grand strategic thought to agency/ministerial-level strategic planning processes. As Director of the Democratic Resilience Center, she orchestrates the translation of the center’s excellent academic research into practical solutions which mitigate the threats to democracies and bolsters democratic resiliency.
Organizational Team
The DRC Organizational Team serves as the operational backbone of the Centre, coordinating its diverse activities and initiatives. The team supports research projects, educational programs, and international collaborations while fostering exchange between academia, policy, and society. Through its dedication and organizational expertise, it helps advance the DRC’s mission and strengthens the Centre’s long-term impact.
Letzte Änderung: 12. November 2026