Carmen Lipphardt

Dr. Carmen Lipphardt is a researcher and educator at the University of Tübingen's Faculty of Philosophy, specifically within the Seminar for General Rhetoric. She heads the Presentation Skills Research Unit at the Research Center for Science Communication and serves on the four-person project management team for Youth Presents. Her work bridges academic research with practical training programs, focusing on enhancing presentation competencies across educational and professional contexts through an interdisciplinary lens.

Her educational foundation includes specialized studies in General Rhetoric and Political Science, culminating in a doctoral thesis dedicated to promoting presentation skills. This academic background established her expertise in the intersection of communication theory and practical skill development.

Research interests center on Presentation Rhetoric and the Rhetoric of Evidence, with strong emphasis on empirical validation of communication techniques. She investigates multimodal argumentation structures, online presentation dynamics, and evidence-based rhetorical strategies within STEM education. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates cognitive science, educational psychology, and classical rhetoric to develop practical frameworks for effective science communication.

Publication trends reveal a clear evolution from foundational rhetorical theory (2009-2012) toward contemporary digital communication challenges (2021-2025). Early work focused on historical rhetorical concepts and classroom applications, while recent publications address online instruction methodologies and STEM argumentation standards. The consistent thread is empirical research on presentation competence development, increasingly incorporating digital environments and cross-disciplinary validation.

Dr. Lipphardt actively shapes the field through her leadership in the Youth Presents Training Academy, where she develops junior trainers and creates structured curricula for teenage presenters. Her practical work includes designing training frameworks documented in publications like "Trainingsfahrplan Jugend präsentiert" (2013) and "Jugend präsentiert kompakt" (2014), demonstrating sustained commitment to translating research into actionable educational tools.

Her operational base centers on the Presentation Skills Research Unit, which drives empirical studies on presentation competence, and the Youth Presents initiative, a nationally recognized program for developing science communication skills in secondary education. These interconnected platforms enable her dual focus on theoretical advancement and real-world application of rhetorical principles.