Heiner Bielefeldt (*1958) has been Full Professor of Human Rights at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (since October 2009).
Before taking the newly established chair, he was Director of the German Institute for Human Rights. Between August 2010 and October 2016 Bielefeldt served as the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.
Bielefeldt’s research interests include different interdisciplinary facets of human rights theory and practice, with a particular focus on freedom of religion or belief. His most recent books are: Religious Freedom Under Scrutiny (together with Michael Wiener), University of Pennsylvania Press, 2020; Sources of Solidarity. A Short Introduction to Human Rights, FAU press, 2022. Open access: opus4.kobv.de/opus4-fau/frontdoor/index/index/docId/19111.