About
I hold a PhD in Sociology and Social Research from Bielefeld University and the University of Trento (Italy), followed by a habilitation in Political Science at Bielefeld University. Since October 2025, I have been Professor of Public Policy and Social Change at OTH Regensburg.
During my academic career, I have collaborated with numerous international universities, including appointments as Visiting Professor of European Studies at the University of Washington (USA) and Visiting Professor of Macrosociology and European Societies at Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg (Germany). I have also been a Visiting Scholar at the American University of Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan), German-Kazakh University (Kazakhstan), the University of California, Berkeley (USA), and St. Petersburg State University (Russia), as well as a Visiting Lecturer at Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg (Germany) and Kyrgyz National University (Kyrgyzstan).
A second cornerstone of my work lies in international project management and science diplomacy. In the past, I served as manager of the St. Petersburg/Bielefeld Centre for German and European Studies (CGES/ZDES) funded by DAAD, of education exchange programs such as the ERASMUS Mundus Joint Doctorate “Globalization, the EU and Multilateralism (GEM)” funded by the European Commission and of collaborative research projects involving different universities in Central Asia funded by the Volkswagen Foundation. This work focuses on interregional exchange formats, policy dialogues, and cooperation processes, particularly between Europe and Central Asia. Alongside my academic activities, I have developed extensive experience as a consultant, trainer, and expert for civil society organizations, public foundations, and think tanks, including DVV International (Regional Office Central Asia, Bishkek), Europe–Central Asia Monitoring (EUCAM, Groningen), the European Neighbourhood Council (ENC, Brussels), and the OSCE Academy (Bishkek).