René is researching the future of design education. He conducted an international study on this topic for the iF Design Foundation, which was published as a white book in 2021. This was followed by an evaluation of design studies from the perspective of public value. The foundation is currently developing the prototype for a design program as part of a global research project.
René is a professor at the RFH University of Applied Sciences Cologne and a member of the board of the iF Design Foundation. He has published numerous books and articles on the social responsibility of design and the Ulm School of Design (HfG). He has produced more than 400 broadcasts about design for the German radio station WDR.
René has completed his studies in communication sciences, history and German philology with a doctoral thesis on the HfG Ulm. From 1988 to 1991, he worked alongside Otl Aicher for the company durst. From 2004 to 2007, he was chairman of the advisory board of the International Forum for Design (IFG) Ulm.