Mona Motakef

Mona Motakef is a Research Fellow at the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB), affiliated with the completed Emmy Noether Junior Research Group 'Love,’ Work, Recognition – Recognition and Inequality in Dual Career Couples. Her research focuses on sociological theory, biopolitics, gender studies, and educational inequality. She holds a doctorate from Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich (2010) and has held positions including Research Assistant at the German Institute for Human Rights and managing director of the Essen College of Gender Studies.

Education:

• 2003: Diploma in Social Sciences and Intercultural Education from Carl v. Ossietzky University, Oldenburg (with studies at University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa)
• 2010: Doctorate in Sociology from Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich

Research Focus: Her work examines intersections of labor markets, gendered embodiment, recognition theory, and educational inequities. Notable projects include analysis of organ donation discourses, dual career couples' dynamics, and human rights-based critiques of educational marginalization.

Grants & Projects: Principal investigator in the DFG-funded Emmy Noether Group (2009-2014), focusing on socio-political regulations of dual career couples and recognition mechanisms.

Labs/Teams: Core member of the 'Love, Work, Recognition' research collective at WZB, collaborating on interdisciplinary studies of labor and intimacy dynamics.