Prof. Stefan Müller is a Professor at the Institute for German Language and Linguistics , part of the Faculty of Languages and Literature at Humboldt University. His research focuses on syntax, formal grammar theories (especially Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar), and computational linguistics. He leads the CoreGram Project , developing cross-linguistic grammars using HPSG formalisms. His work includes analyses of German syntax, constituent order, anaphoric binding, and register phenomena. He is also involved in open-access publishing initiatives through Language Science Press . Contact: St.Mueller@hu-berlin.de . Education and academic background details are not explicitly stated in the provided text, but his professional trajectory indicates deep expertise in theoretical linguistics. His research spans multiple languages including German, Mandarin, and Persian, with a focus on grammar implementation and syntax-semantics interfaces. Key contributions include the Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar Handbook (2024), analyses of headless nominal structures in German (2022), and exploration of large language models' theoretical implications (2024). He actively engages in interdisciplinary projects bridging formal grammar and computational methods.
Irene Albers is a full Professor at Free University of Berlin's Department of Philosophy and Humanities, holding dual appointments at the Peter Szondi Institute for General and Comparative Literature and Institute for Romance Philology since 2004. She chairs both the Examination Board and Doctoral Committee for General and Comparative Literature, serves as Trustee of Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes since 2004/05, and has been Principal Investigator for the Friedrich-Schlegel Graduate School for Literary Studies and Cluster Languages of Emotion since 2007. Her research bridges comparative literature, anthropology, and visual culture with institutional leadership spanning editorial projects and international conferences. Her educational background includes: Born in Bremen (1967) Romance Studies, Philosophy, and German Studies at Universities of Tübingen, Tours, and Konstanz M.A. from University of Konstanz (1993) Ph.D. from University of Konstanz (1999) on literature and photography in Émile Zola, Proust, and Claude Simon Albers' core research examines literary anthropology through colonial/postcolonial lenses, focusing on French literary engagement with Africa, surrealism, and literature-photography intersections. She pioneered studies on Michel Leiris' ethnological poetics and Claude Simon's photographic techniques, extending to historical emotion research (anatomy of affects, body language) and romance novella traditions. Her work consistently challenges Eurocentric literary canons through primitivism critique and heteronomy aesthetics, emphasizing textual restitution and cultural reclamation. Recent publications (2018-2025) reveal a sharp turn toward colonial restitution ethics, particularly in oral literature provenance. Articles increasingly analyze literature as colonial loot, connecting French modernism with African/Caribbean contexts through collaborative projects with anthropologists like Eléonore Devevey. This trajectory builds from earlier surrealist studies to concrete frameworks for decolonizing literary scholarship, spotlighting institutional complicity in cultural appropriation while advancing symmetrized modernity revisions. Scientific awards include: Senior Fellow and Prize Winner of the Zukunftskolleg, University of Konstanz (2009) Albers supervises master's and doctoral students through dedicated AVL colloquia while securing major research funding as Principal Investigator for Friedrich-Schlegel Graduate School (2007-present) and Cluster Languages of Emotion (2007-2012). Her current DFG-funded project 'Literature as Colonial Loot?' with Andreas Schmid pioneers philological provenance research. Earlier, she contributed to Collaborative Research Center 511 'Literature and Anthropology' (Konstanz, 1999-2002) and DFG-funded conferences on Claude Simon. She leads the DramaNet research project and co-edits the 'machina' series at transcript Verlag since 2010. As board member (2007-2009) and deputy (2008-2012) of Cluster Languages of Emotion, she coordinates Area D 'Cultural Codings of Emotions'. Her Zukunftskolleg fellowship (2012-2013) and Marcel Proust Society collaborations underscore sustained engagement with literary anthropology networks.
Stefan Gosepath is a Professor of Practical Philosophy at the Institute of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities, Free University of Berlin. He serves as Principal Investigator for multiple major research projects including the Volkswagen Foundation's 'The Deserving Rich' and the Excellence Cluster 'Contestations of the Liberal Script' (SCRIPTS), where he coordinates the Research Unit 'Order'. His academic affiliations include membership in the Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz and participation in the Berlin-Potsdam Research Group on International Rule of Law. His research spans political philosophy with particular focus on theories of justice (global and intergenerational), equality, democracy, human rights, and responsibility. Key areas include social and legal philosophy, action theory, meta-ethics (particularly rationality and normativity), and theories of the good life. His work critically examines meritocracy, inheritance systems, and wealth distribution within liberal democracies. Notable publications demonstrate evolving focus from foundational theories of egalitarian justice to contemporary challenges including pandemic ethics, digital governance, and contestations of liberal democracy. His recent work analyzes merit systems, inheritance justice, and global philosophical frameworks through interdisciplinary lenses combining philosophy, sociology, and political science. Opus Magnum Stipendium der VW Stiftung (2021/22) Ordinary Member, Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz (since 2020) Principal Investigator, Excellence Cluster SCRIPTS (since 2019) Gosepath leads multiple collaborative research initiatives including 'Transforming Solidarities' (Berlin University Alliance) and 'Liberal Order, Legitimate Authority and Disagreement' (with Mattias Kumm). His work connects theoretical frameworks with practical policy challenges, particularly regarding social cohesion in migration societies and democratic resilience. He maintains active engagement with public discourse through media appearances and policy-relevant interventions on issues of justice and democratic governance.
Yashar Mohagheghi is a Researcher at the Department of German and General Literary Studies, RWTH Aachen University, where he has worked since 2018 under Prof. Dr. Caroline Torra-Mattenklott. His academic trajectory includes a postdoctoral fellowship at Bielefeld University's Graduate School of Linguistics and Literary Studies (2012–2017), a research stint at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (2015), and a Junior Lecturer position at Johns Hopkins University (2011). His research interests span Literary Theory, Cultural History, and German Literature with specialized focus on Time Theory, Festival Culture, Material Philology, and Small Literary Forms. Mohagheghi's work bridges systematic analysis of concepts like Festkultur and Zeitlichkeit with historical investigations of Early Modern literature, Goethe-era writings, Aestheticism, and Modernism. His scholarship frequently examines intersections between material culture, sensory theory, and political communication across different historical periods. Mohagheghi's publications reveal a trajectory emphasizing temporal aesthetics in Hölderlin's work, material philology in 19th-century literature, and sociological analyses of Weimar Republic culture. His research demonstrates increasing engagement with ecological perspectives in literary studies, particularly regarding resource economies in book production and sustainability in literary materiality. Publikationspreis 2021 der Philosophischen Fakultät der RWTH Aachen Dissertationspreis 2018 der Kulturwissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft As an active academic organizer, Mohagheghi has co-chaired significant conferences including Wissenschaften des Konkreten (2023) and Ressource ‚Schriftträger‘ (2021), demonstrating leadership in contemporary literary theory discussions. His scholarly network extends across German, French, and American institutions, with particular strength in European literary theory and cultural history.
Dr. Alexandra Schotte is a Lecturer in Pedagogy at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences , University of Augsburg . Her research focuses on inclusive education , historical educational research , and Herbartian pedagogy , with a particular emphasis on disability education, educational media, and the Jewish Enlightenment (Haskala). She has held temporary professorial roles at the University of Duisburg-Essen and Friedrich Schiller University Jena. B.A. and M.A. in Educational Science and Sociology (1994–2000), Friedrich Schiller University Jena Ph.D. (Dr. phil.) in Educational Science (2008), Friedrich Schiller University Jena Her scholarly work explores intersections of educational theory , social pedagogy , and curriculum development , often contextualized through historical case studies and Herbartian philosophy. She co-edits academic series like Herbartstudien and contributes to international dialogues on postcolonial educational approaches. Scientific awards include: 2010 Award for 'Basic Pedagogical Research' (Friedrich Schiller University Jena) 2016 Habilitation Scholarship from the University of Augsburg's 'Equal Opportunities for Women in Research and Teaching' program She actively participates in academic societies, including the International Herbart Society and the German Society for Educational Science (DGfE), and contributes to educational media research through editorial and conference roles.
Christoph Hammann is a researcher at the Department of New Testament Studies within the Faculty of Protestant Theology at the University of Münster, working under Professor Eve-Marie Becker's chair since August 2022. He is currently completing his habilitation on "Authority, Power, and Rule in the Lukan Double Work: Exegetical Investigations of Luke's Ascending Christology Against the Background of Greek-Roman Biography, Historiography, and Epic" (2022-present). His research spans multiple interdisciplinary areas at the intersection of biblical studies, ancient philosophy, and cultural history. Hammann's primary interests include Pauline theology and epistolography, the Lukan works in Greco-Roman cultural context, the relationship between natural science and theology in early Christianity, philosophy of the Imperial Period and Late Antiquity, conceptions of history in the New Testament, and the beginnings of Christianity in Rome. His academic background combines classical philology (specializing in Greek studies) with Protestant theology, enabling unique cross-disciplinary approaches to biblical texts. Hammann's publication record reveals a consistent engagement with how early Christian texts interacted with and transformed contemporary Greco-Roman discourses on topics like purity, authority, and cosmology. His work often examines the philosophical and medical contexts of biblical concepts, particularly in relation to heart metaphors, sacrificial practices, and Christological development. DAAD Congress Travel Grant (2023) Publication subsidy for dissertation (2019) PhD Prize from Philipps-Universität Marburg (2019) Multiple international research grants from Evangelisches Studienwerk Villigst (2015-2018) Fondation Hardt research grant (2017) Hammann actively contributes to academic life through teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in New Testament exegesis (including Greek language instruction), organizing conferences such as the upcoming Colloquium Biblicum Lovaniense LXXIV on The Corinthian Letters (2025), and co-editing scholarly volumes like "Opfer in Antiochien" (2023). He serves on multiple academic committees and is a member of several scholarly societies including the Society of Biblical Literature (since 2025) and the Münster School of Ancient Cultures (since 2023). His research group within the Excellence Cluster "Religion and Politics" focuses on ancient cultural contexts of early Christianity, with particular attention to the intersections between biblical texts and Greco-Roman philosophical, medical, and political discourses. Hammann also leads student excursions to Rome to study early Christian sites and Pauline contexts.
Cornelius Puschmann is a Professor of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Bremen's ZeMKI, leading the Digital Communication and Information Diversity (DCID) Lab. He has held affiliations with institutions including Zeppelin University, the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, and the Leibniz Institute for Media Research / Hans Bredow Institute. His research focuses on computational communication, digital media usage, hate speech, and algorithmic impacts on digital communication. Current projects: Informed by Influencers? (INDI), Political Polarization and Individualized Online Information Environments (POLTRACK) Member of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft (DGPuK), European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA), and International Communication Association (ICA) His recent publications explore topics such as alternative news consumption, political polarization, and communicative AI. He has also contributed to open-source methodologies like the RPC-Lex dictionary for analyzing right-wing populist discourse. Notable affiliations include visiting scholar roles at the Oxford Internet Institute, Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, and University of Amsterdam's Department of Media Studies.
Prof. Dr. Miloš Řezník is a prominent historian and Professor of European Regional History at the Faculty of Philosophy, Chemnitz University of Technology. He has held this position since 2009 and served as Pro-Dean of the Faculty. From 2014 to 2024, he was Director of the German Historical Institute in Warsaw. His academic career spans institutions in Prague, Liberec, Leipzig, and Chemnitz, reflecting a deep engagement with Central and Eastern European history. PhD and Habilitation in General History, Palacký University Olomouc Extensive research on collective identities, nationalism, borderlands, and elite transformations in Central Europe Expertise in Polish, Czech, Galician, and Habsburg history Longstanding leadership roles in German-Czech and German-Polish historical commissions His research interests center on the cultural and political dynamics of regional identities in Central and Eastern Europe, especially in border regions such as Silesia, Bohemia, Pomerania, and Galicia. He explores how historical memory, nationalism, and elite strategies have shaped regional consciousness from the 18th to the 20th century. His work bridges historiography, cultural studies, and political history, with a strong focus on transnational and comparative perspectives. The 15 most recent publications reveal a consistent thematic trajectory: the interplay between regionalism, ethnicity, memory, and state formation in Central Europe. Key sub-themes include the Kashubian movement, Habsburg provincial governance, German-Czech-Polish relations, and the symbolic politics of historical figures and events. His scholarship increasingly engages with theoretical frameworks such as retrotopia, ethnoregionalism, and the institutionalization of historical science. Scientific Awards and Honors: Foreign Member, Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (2023) Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Federal Foundation for the Study of Communist Dictatorship in East Germany (2025) Member, Scientific Council, Bundeskanzler-Helmut-Kohl-Stiftung (2022) Member, Johann Gottfried Herder Research Council (2011–present) Prof. Řezník has supervised numerous academic projects and dissertations, particularly through collaborative EU and DFG-funded initiatives focused on cross-border history. He has served as editor for multiple academic series and journals, including Journal of Modern European History (2019–2024). His institutional roles include membership in evaluation committees for the European Research Council, DFG, and Czech Science Foundation. He leads or has led several major research initiatives, including the Interreg Project: Cultural Heritage of the Vogtland and Egerland , and has organized numerous international conferences on Central European history, memory, and regionalism. His work is deeply embedded in transnational academic networks, particularly through the German Historical Institute in Warsaw and the Kompetenzzentrum Mittel- und Osteuropa Leipzig.
Dr. Solvejg Nitzke is an Acting Professor of General and Comparative Literature at Ruhr University Bochum since April 2024. She holds a habilitation from TU Dresden (2023) and a PhD from Ruhr University Bochum (2015). Her research focuses on ecocriticism, plant studies, climate narratives, and knowledge communication in literature. She has led major interdisciplinary projects like the TUDiSC-funded 'Disrupt!Research' (2020-2023) and the Fritz Thyssen Foundation-supported 'Strange Kinship' (2021). Teaching: Lectures/seminars on ecological storytelling, catastrophes in literature, and arboreal poetics at Ruhr University and TU Dresden since 2011. Recognition: E-Learning Jewel nomination (2020) for digital teaching innovation. Research Projects: Includes 'Precarious Natures' (2017-2020) and 'Time of Climate' (2015-2017). Editorships: Co-editor of Brill's 'Plant Poetics' (2025), De Gruyter's 'Literature & Ecology' handbook (2025), and multiple special journal issues on ecocritical topics.
Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer is a Full Professor of German Literature and Literary Didactics at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, specializing in children's literature, picturebook research, and intermedial studies. With a habilitation from Tübingen (2001) and a PhD from Cologne (1990), she has held guest professorships in Sweden and Austria, declined a chair at the Free University of Bolzano (2014), and led EU-funded projects like Canon Constitution and Canon Change in Children's Literature (2017) and The Digital Literacy and Multimodal Practices of Young Children (2015–2019). Her research spans avant-garde children's literature, Jewish children's books, and early literacy. Education : PhD in German Philology (University of Cologne, 1990); Habilitation in Children's Literature (Tübingen, 2001). Her research interests focus on intersections between children's and adult literature, avant-garde aesthetics in picturebooks, and the political dimensions of children's media. She has co-edited The Routledge Companion to Picturebooks (2018) and Canon Constitution and Canon Change in Children's Literature (2017). Recent publication trends highlight her work on cognitive challenges in picturebooks, the impact of digital media on young adult literature, and the legacy of classical myths in contemporary children's works. She has also explored topics like propaganda in GDR photographic books and multilingual children's literature. Scientific awards include the 2017 ChLA Edited Book Award for Children’s Literature and the Avant-Garde (co-edited with Elina Druker). She serves on editorial boards for journals like International Research in Children’s Literature and Libri & Liberi . Advising includes completed doctorates on topics like Swedish fantasy reception in Germany, initiation novels in 20th-century children's literature, and gender discourse in Erich Kästner adaptations. She has advised on international doctoral projects in the UK, Belgium, South Africa, Portugal, Sweden, and Spain.
Doris Kolesch is a Professor for Theatre Studies at the Institute for Theatre Studies (WE7), Freie Universität Berlin , since October 2002. She serves as geschäftsführende Direktorin of the Institute since 2019 and is a member of the Akademischer Senat (since 2015). Her academic journey includes habilitation in Theatre Studies and Romance Philology, postdoctoral work at Mainz Graduate College, and leadership roles in academic governance. Education: Magister Artium (1989) in General and Comparative Literature, Romance Studies, and Journalism from Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz and Parisian institutions (École Normale Supérieure, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Sorbonne III/VII), with thesis on Kafka and Pynchon Dr. phil. (1994) on Baudelaire, Adorno, and Barthes with summa cum laude Research Interests span immersive theatre, affective societies, voice aesthetics, gender performances, and intermediality. She leads the project Akustische Störungen (postcolonial/queer sonic interventions) and contributes to the Excellence Cluster 'Temporal Communities' . Her work intersects performance theory with cultural history and emotional dynamics. Scientific Contributions: Co-editor of Routledge Companion to Audiences and the Performing Arts (2022) Principal Investigator in SFB 1512 'Intervenierende Künste' Key roles in DFG-funded projects (e.g., Re-Collecting Theatre Histories , Stimmen als Paradigmen ) Awards and Recognitions include the Heinz-Maier-Leibnitz Prize (1998), Johannes Gutenberg Prize (1994), and appointments to the Junge Akademie (2001) and the Berliner Wissenschaftspreis jury (since 2021). Additional Roles include mentorship in the Berlin ProFiL program, advisory positions for DFG and Thyssen Foundation, and co-editorship of Forum Modernes Theater (since 2006).
Prof. Dr. Manuel Trummer is an Adjunct Professor and Senior Academic Councillor at the Chair of Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of Regensburg's Faculty of Languages, Literature and Cultural Studies. He holds a habilitation in media governance and rural development (2019) and a doctorate in Comparative Cultural Studies (2011). His research focuses on popular media, rural cultural analysis, and intangible cultural heritage. He leads the IKEL/BMEL-funded project on rural intangible heritage and serves on UNESCO's Expert Committee for Intangible Cultural Heritage. Education: Magister in Comparative Cultural Studies and Art History (2004), PhD in Rock Music & Devil Imagery (2011), Habilitation on media governance (2019) Key roles: Co-chair of the German Ethnological Society's Rural Cultural Analysis Commission, member of Bavarian Academy of Sciences (2015–2020) Research emphasizes media narratives of rurality, heritage politics, and Eastern European memory cultures. Recent work includes analyzing BR TV's rural imagery and editing Pop the Nation (2023). His projects bridge academic research with cultural institutions, including museum collaborations and policy advising. Notable awards include the 2015 Faculty Teaching Prize and Junge Kolleg membership (2014–2019). Active in interdisciplinary initiatives like the 'Faktizität der Welt' research group.
Dušan Hajduk-Veljković is a lecturer for special tasks at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Faculty of Philosophy II, Institute for Slavic Studies and Speech Science. He has held positions at three major German universities since 1989, specializing in Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian language instruction and research. 1981-1984: BA in General Literature, Faculty of Philology, Belgrade 1988-1994: MA in Slavic Studies, University of Saarland His research focuses on South Slavic phraseology, Church Slavonic textual transmission, and literary translation. Notably, he contributed to the Slavic Creeds project and has been examining translation practices in Balkan contexts. His 15 most recent publications reveal expertise in: phraseological model analysis (1998), textual criticism of medieval Slavic texts (1997-2002), and cross-cultural translation studies (2004-2006). The research spans ethnolinguistic reconstruction, doctrinal text analysis, and modernist literature adaptation. Translation grants from ProHelvetia (2004), Goethe-Institut (2005), and German Literature Fund (2006) As a certified interpreter since 1989 and examiner at the Leipzig Regional School Authority since 2004, he bridges academic research with practical language expertise. His work with Roland Marti and Angela Richter demonstrates sustained interdisciplinary collaboration.
Prof. Dr. Astrid Neumann is a Professor of German Language Didactics at Leuphana University Lüneburg, affiliated with the Institute for German Language and Literature and its Didactics (IDD) and the Center for Empirical Research on Language and Education (ERLE). Her work bridges language didactics, general pedagogy, and comparative school research. Education: Master's degree in Modern German Literature/Bohemian Studies/Russian Studies from Humboldt University of Berlin (1989-1997), with additional qualifications in German as a foreign language and teacher training (Studienrat). Research Focus: Her primary research explores text linguistics, writing didactics, and German as a second/educational language. She leads practical projects on refugee integration through language education and digital writing tools. Key areas include: Adaptive language support in heterogeneous classrooms AI applications in writing instruction Vocational education curriculum development Publication Trends: Recent works (2022-2025) emphasize digital pedagogy, linguistic diversity management, and AI integration in German language instruction, reflecting strong applied research focus in vocational and inclusive education contexts. Projects & Advising: Leads federally funded projects like BAKODE (language sensitivity) and CODIP (digital subject teaching). Supervises doctoral candidates and coordinates service-learning initiatives linking students with community language support programs. Teams: Directs research teams at ERLE and collaborates on cross-institutional projects like EvaFa (language support evaluation) involving partners from multiple German universities.
Mandy Hauser is a Researcher in the "Education with Special Needs and Intellectual Development" department at the Institute for Special Needs Education , Leipzig University , where she has taught and researched since 2012. Her work focuses on participatory and inclusive research, methodological and ethical challenges in empirical social research involving individuals with intellectual disabilities, inclusion-sensitive university development, disability studies, and self-reflexivity in teacher training programs. Education: Ph.D. in "Quality and Goodness in Joint Research with People with Learning Difficulties" (2019), funded by the Heinrich Böll Foundation Special Education Teaching Degree (intellectual development & communication) at Leipzig University (2002-2005) Studies in General Linguistics, Comparative Literature, and Medieval/Modern History (2000-2005) Research Interests center on participatory methodologies in disability studies, ethical frameworks for inclusive research, and transforming higher education to support inclusion. Her work addresses ambivalent emotions in academic inclusion, ableism in teacher education, and contradictions in inclusion-focused knowledge production. Recent Publications (2020-2025) explore themes like collaborative research quality, inclusive university didactics, and the intersection of disability studies and pedagogy. Notable projects include ParLink (2018-2021), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Notable Awards: Heinrich Böll Foundation scholarship for doctoral research She has also held an Acting Professorship at Martin Luther University Halle/Wittenberg (2011) and participated in teaching initiatives like " Kleine Forscher:innen " (2009-2013) for kindergarten education and feminist editorial work in " Outside the Box " (2009-2013).
