It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Prof. Dr. Jochen Fahrenberg, Professor Emeritus at Freiburg University, Germany, who left us on September 21, 2026. He leaves behind a vast legacy of pioneering scholarship in Ambulatory Assessment, mentoring and deep, enduring kindness.

Together with Michael Myrtek he set up a comprehensive research program to study psychological and physiological processes in daily life in the 1990s. Together they coined the term Ambulatory Assessment, referring to a theory-driven, real-life assessment framework, encompassing a wide range of assessment approaches, including electronic diaries, physiological monitoring, and behavioral observation. His research in Ambulatory Assessment culminated in two seminal textbooks he co-edited with Michael Myrtek and an influential review and position article in 2007. It comes as no surprise that the Society of Ambulatory Assessment was founded 2008 – right in Fahrenberg’s living room in Freiburg.

Besides Ambulatory Assessment, Fahrenberg cultivated broad interests throughout his academic career, with a profound passion for the philosophical and methodological underpinnings of psychology. He excelled at interdisciplinary thinking long before it became fashionable. Even after becoming emeritus, he expanded his scope and devoted a significant amount of his time to an in-depth analysis of Wilhelm Wundt’s pioneering work, the history of psychology in Freiburg, qualitative research, and anthropology.

Fahrenberg was a truly inspiring and supportive academic teacher and mentor, sparking enthusiasm for Ambulatory Assessment in generations of students and researchers.

We will dearly miss him.