Deputy Director for Innovation in Science and Policymaking. European Commission; Head of Unit EU Policy Lab: Foresight, Design for Policy and Behavioural Insights, European Commission
Thomas Hemmelgarn
- 2025
- Creative Bureaucracy Festival
- 2026
- Creative Bureaucracy Festival
Thomas Hemmelgarn has led the EU Policy Lab at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) since 2021. The Lab is a cross‑disciplinary hub that uses foresight, design and behavioural‑insight methods to translate scientific knowledge into EU policy. He also serves as Deputy Director for Innovation in Science and Policymaking at the JRC.
Before joining the JRC, Thomas began his career at the German Ministry of Finance and then moved to the European Commission, where he worked on taxation and economic policy, led the Economic Analysis team for Taxation, and held positions in the DG for Taxation and Customs Union and the Secretary‑General’s office.
An economist by training, he studied at the University of Cologne, Pennsylvania State University and Bocconi University, holds a Doctorate in Economics (Cologne) and a Master in International Management (CEMS)