Birgit Apitzsch

Birgit Apitzsch is a Professor of Sociology/Labor, Economy, and Welfare at Ruhr University Bochum since October 2021. She serves on the Executive Board of the Society of Friends and Former Associates of the MPIfG, elected in 2022. Her academic journey includes a doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (Cologne) and University of Duisburg-Essen, followed by postdoctoral roles at the European University Institute (Florence) and the Sociological Research Institute (Göttingen).

Her research integrates labor sociology, organizational studies, and legal frameworks to analyze structural changes in labor markets and welfare states. Key focuses include atypical employment risks in knowledge-intensive sectors, institutional transformations in civil society, and comparative analyses of professional self-concepts. She emphasizes interdisciplinary collaborations and has secured funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG), Mercator Research Center Ruhr, and the Hans Böckler Foundation.

Teaching priorities include equipping students with tools to understand socio-economic changes through sociological classics and contemporary empirical research. She oversees courses that blend theoretical frameworks with research-based learning.