Lea Bauer

Lea Bauer is a Researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography (IfL) in Leipzig, Germany, working in the Director's staff unit within the Visual Regional Geographies research area since March 2025. Previously, she held research positions at Münster University (October 2024-February 2025) and Leipzig University (May 2018-September 2024).

She earned her degree in Geography and Middle Eastern Studies from Leipzig University (2004-2012), supplemented by a PhD fellowship from Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (August 2016-April 2018).

Her research pioneers visual geographies through qualitative and visual methodologies, artistic experimentation, and diagrammatic reasoning, critically examining mapping practices and political dimensions of spatial representation. She investigates how visual tools shape regional identities and belonging, bridging cartography with social theory.

Bauer actively co-leads the Visual Geographies working group and directs the 'Visual Regional Geographies' project at IfL, integrating freelance cartography experience (ongoing since 2010) into her academic practice.