Anja Steinbach

Prof. Dr. Anja Steinbach is a full Professor of Sociology with a focus on Family and Migration Sociology at the University of Duisburg-Essen, where she also serves as the Managing Director of the Institute of Sociology. She is actively involved in research, teaching, and academic leadership, including editorial roles and committee memberships at national and international levels.

• University: University of Duisburg-Essen
• School: Faculty of Social Sciences
• Department: Department of Sociology
• Academic Rank: Professor
• Email: anja.steinbach@uni-due.de

Her educational background includes a PhD (2003) and Habilitation (2010), both in Sociology from Chemnitz University of Technology. She has held academic positions continuously since 2011 at her current institution and previously served as Chair and Vice Chair of the Department of Sociology.

Prof. Steinbach’s research is centered on family sociology, migration and integration, intergenerational relations, life course research, demography, and post-separation family dynamics. Her work often employs comparative and longitudinal methodologies, with a strong emphasis on empirical data. She leads the DFG-funded FAMOD (Family Models in Germany) project, which investigates joint physical custody and its effects on children and parents. Her research spans topics such as stepfamilies, sibling estrangement, division of household labor, and aging in migrant populations.

The analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a consistent focus on post-divorce family arrangements, child and parental well-being, custody models, and intergenerational dynamics. There is a strong interdisciplinary and cross-national trend, with collaborations across Europe and publications in top journals such as Journal of Marriage and Family, Family Process, and Child Indicators Research. Many articles examine joint physical custody through psychological, sociological, and legal lenses, often comparing Germany with other countries.

• Fellowship of the Academy and Science Program (HWP) for Habilitation (2004–2006)
• Research Award 'Migration and Integration' from EFMS (2000)
• DAAD Grant for PhD research in the USA (1999)
• European Science Foundation Grant for conference participation (1999)

Prof. Steinbach has secured significant research funding, notably from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for the FAMOD project. She mentors early-career researchers and PhD students, participates in the Cornelia Harte Mentor Program, and serves on editorial boards including Journal of Marriage and Family. Her academic service includes leadership in the Senate of the University of Duisburg-Essen and the Committee on Family Research (RC06) of the International Sociological Association.

She leads and collaborates in several research teams, most notably the FAMOD project team with Dr. Tobias Helms and researchers like Lara Augustijn and Sven Brocker. She is also involved in international networks such as the European Network for the Sociological and Demographic Study of Divorce and the Aging Studies Institute at Syracuse University.