Ruth Achenbach

Ruth Achenbach is a Research Fellow at Goethe University Frankfurt, leading the BMBF-funded project "Qualification and Skill in the Migration Process of Foreign Workers in Asia (QuaMaFA)" since 2021. She serves as Visiting Fellow at Sophia University's Institute of Comparative Culture and coordinates interdisciplinary programs like Modern East Asian Studies (MEAS).

• PhD from University of Hamburg (2010-2015)
• Recipient of Karl H. Ditze-Prize for Master Thesis on Japan-Taiwan Relations
• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung scholarship (2011-2013)

Her research focuses on international migration of the highly skilled (especially Chinese to Japan), decision theory, life stage models, and social inequality. She explores how migration decisions evolve across life courses, influenced by family, gender, and labor market dynamics.

Key article themes include transnational labor integration, gender-specific migration strategies, and Kaizen's role in development cooperation. Her work spans Africa-Asia collaborations via the AFRASO project and comparative studies with Singapore.

• Karl H. Ditze-Prize for Academic Excellence
• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung PhD Scholarship
• Funding from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

She has taught courses on migration, social inequality, and East Asian politics at Goethe University, Heidelberg, and University of Zurich. Her fieldwork includes ethnographic observations in Japan and Singapore, analyzing how graduates navigate labor markets amidst demographic challenges.