Alina Zils

Alina Zils is a Researcher at the Department of Pedagogy, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, where she has served since 2020 while completing her doctoral dissertation titled "The Ir_relevance of Gender. An (epistemological) theoretical, methodological and empirical study" under supervision of Prof. Dr. Bettina Hünersdorf and Prof. Dr. Juliane Engel.

Education:

• PhD in Educational Sciences (2018-present), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
• Visiting Scholar, Washington University St. Louis (2018)
• MA in Practice Research in Social Work and Pedagogy, Alice Salomon University Berlin (2011-2014)
• BA in Social Work, EH Darmstadt (2007-2011)

Research Focus: Zils employs poststructuralist and posthumanist frameworks to investigate gender irrelevance in early childhood, reconstructive social research methodologies, and spatial dynamics of playgrounds. Her work critically examines how drug policy, prostitution frameworks, and gender performativity intersect in educational and social work contexts, emphasizing material-discursive practices over identity-based analyses.

Publication Trends: Her 2023-2025 publications reveal three converging trajectories: methodological critiques of reconstructive social research, spatial analyses of playground (in)accessibility, and empirical deconstructions of gender in early childhood. These works consistently bridge theoretical innovation with practical implications for inclusive education and social work practice.

Scientific Recognition:

• Alice-Salomon Scholarship Program
• PhD Completion Scholarship from Catholic University of Applied Sciences Berlin

Academic Engagement: Zils teaches undergraduate courses on social work theories, gender in social work, drug policy, and qualitative methods. As deputy doctoral representative (2022-2024), she advocated for PhD candidates while presenting at major conferences including Gender, Work and Organization and DGfE Congresses. Her pre-academic career included 16 years in drug and homeless support services with crisis intervention for marginalized sex workers.