Ralf Schäfer is Director of the Video Division at Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) in Berlin where he is responsible for 90 researchers and 50 undergraduate students.

He studied electrical engineering at the Technical University Berlin (TUB) and joined HHI as a researcher in 1977. In 1984 he received his doctorate at TUB in the area of digital video coding of TV signals. His research interests cover all areas related to images and video, from acquisition to display and from algorithm development to ASIC implementation.

Besides his role as Division Director, he is responsible for three technology centers, where smart data solutions and immersive technologies are developed and demonstrated:

- the CINIQ Center for Data and Information Intelligence,

- the Innovation Center for Immersive Imaging Technologies - 3IT,

- Tomorrow’s immersive Media Experience (TiME) Lab.

Ralf Schäfer is member of the German „Society for Information Technology“ (ITG), where he chaired the experts group „Digital Coding“ for more than 20 years. Furthermore he is member of the German „Society for Television and Motion Picture Technology“ (FKTG), where he belongs to the URTEL Award Committee.

In 1986 he received the paper award of the ITG and in 2000 the Richard Theile Medal of the FKTG.

He was co-founder of the two spin-off companies 2SK Media Technologies and MikroM GmbH.