Fritz is a professor of Cognitive Science and Germanic Studies at Indiana University, where he was one of the youngest recipients of the permanent title, Provost Professor in 2017. In 1997, he gained his Ph.D. in German literature from John Hopkins University. In the past, Fritz was a Fulbright Fellow and an Alexander-von-Humboldt-Fellow. Additionally, he has been a regular visiting professor at St. Gallen University for close to a decade.

At Indiana University, Fritz is building up a track of courses in cognitive arts and humanities and runs the unique Experimental Humanities Lab, whose goal is to bridge the gap between the sciences and the humanities. Since 2009, his books have been published at Suhrkamp Verlag. Fritz’s most recent book, The Narrative Brain, won several awards, including “Wissenschaftsbuch des Jahres” 2023 in Austria. His research areas include German and European culture, cognitive arts and humanities, as well as the history of psychology.

At THE NEW INSTITUTE, Fritz is involved in the program Depolarizing Public Debates. He will be present in December 2023 and return for the spring term in 2024.