Thanks to research funding from the GSHS, I had the opportunity to attend the international conference of the German Studies Association (GSA) in Arlington, Virginia, from September 24 to 28, 2025. I qualified to participate by successfully submitting an application for a research seminar in the conference’s side program. The participants in this seminar had research units that bore strong similarities to my project, though they were further along in their academic careers than I am. The substantive insights gained during this seminar were extremely constructive and helped me significantly refine my research project. I was also able to join the organizers’ research network, whose members work primarily in Germany and Austria. The research seminar thus offered me the opportunity to refine the content of my project and establish contacts with researchers in Germany. Furthermore, participating in the rest of the conference program was also very enriching. My project lies at the intersection of literary studies and Cultural Studies. This interdisciplinary intersection is much more pronounced in North America than in Germany. By attending relevant lectures and discussions, I was therefore able to stay informed about the current state of theoretical debates that are central to my project. The research stay thus enabled me to advance my work on my specific research topic, refine the theoretical framework of my project in line with current debates, and join a research network that is highly relevant to me.

My short research stay at the Center for Economic Psychology at the University of Basel was made possible thanks to the support of the GSHS. This allowed me to benefit greatly from the interdisciplinary environment. In particular, I benefited greatly from discussions with various researchers on the topics of skewness preferences, the relationships between complexity and cognition, and diffusion decision modeling. These discussions provided valuable feedback and new methodological approaches that I was able to integrate directly into my research projects.

As part of my doctorate at the Chair of Corporate Governance and Auditing, I attended the EARNet Conference in Vienna from September 11 to 13, 2025. Prior to that, I attended the PhD workshop, which was offered specifically for doctoral candidates in the field of audit research. Although I did not present myself, it was very enriching to follow the presentations by other doctoral candidates and to participate in discussions with experienced researchers. Many of the insights were also relevant to my own research. The conference featured numerous exciting sessions on topics such as audit quality, the use of technology in examination, and regulation, with contributions from renowned international researchers. The evening conference events also provided valuable opportunities for conversation and networking. I am very grateful to the GSHS for the financial support that made it possible for me to participate in this enriching international event.

Thanks to a grant from the GSHS, I was able to complete a four-week research stay at the School of Communication at Ohio State University in July 2025. My time there was incredibly helpful for continuing existing collaborations—for example, we were able to complete our data collection, analyze the data, and begin planning our manuscripts. As part of a colloquium, I was also able to discuss parts of my doctoral project with the faculty and receive valuable feedback. The academic exchange with my co-workers there significantly expanded my network and has allowed me to return to Mainz with a wealth of new ideas and perspectives.

Thanks to a grant from the GSHS, I was able to attend the conference of the International Society for the History of Rhetoric (ISHR) at the University of Copenhagen in July 2025. In my doctoral project, which draws primarily on the corpus of Attic orators, ancient legal rhetoric plays a central role. For the predominantly Anglo-Saxon research community in this field, the ISHR conference is the most important international forum for scholarly exchange. The conference program was therefore particularly valuable to me, as numerous presentations addressed key aspects of my work and provided me with insights into different methodological approaches as well as current research questions. Beyond the panels, I gained valuable insights for my work through conversations during breaks, over coffee, or at group dinners, and I established contacts with researchers from around the world that will surely endure beyond the conference. Attending the ISHR conference was therefore a great professional and personal enrichment for me. My heartfelt thanks go to the GSHS for making this experience possible.

During my three-month research stay at Stanford University, I was able to make significant progress, particularly on my dissertation paper, which I authored alone. Through intensive academic exchanges with Prof. Maya Rossin-Slater and the presentation of my project in her seminar, I received valuable feedback that helped me refine my research question and methodology. This was complemented by regular meetings with researchers in the fields of health and labor market research, as well as by attending numerous seminars and lectures by international scholars. In addition, I presented my research at two international conferences and was able to significantly expand my academic network. Overall, the visit was a great professional and personal enrichment for my doctorate, and I am very grateful for the support provided by the GSHS grant in making it possible.

My research stay at Harvard University through the Institute for World Literature was extraordinarily enriching for me, both academically and personally. The program brought together doctoral candidates and other researchers from around the world in the fields of comparative literature and world literature, and was characterized by intensive exchange. The two seminars I attended, taught by Delia Ungureanu and David Damrosch, opened up new perspectives for my doctorate. I also had the opportunity to present the current state of research for my doctorate at a colloquium and received valuable additional insights. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the GSHS for the grant.

In July 2025, we participated in the international summer school “CSAMA Bioconductor – Biological Data Science” in Brixen. The one-week continuing education program in bioinformatics focused on statistical analysis of biological omics data, with an emphasis on the R programming language and the Bioconductor framework. The course content was practical and was specialized through interactive tutorials and data-driven case studies. Interaction with other participants was encouraged through discussion evenings and the scheduled social afternoon. The entire experience was rewarding both professionally and personally. We have strengthened our skills in the field of biological data analysis and expect the Summer School to have a lasting impact on our scientific work.

As part of my doctorate at the Chair of Corporate Governance and Auditing, I had the opportunity—thanks to a grant from the GSHS—to participate in the summer school “Corporate Governance and the Effectiveness of Boards” in Groningen from July 7, 2025, to July 11, 2025. In addition to scientific presentations by internationally active professors—for example, on current trends in Corporate Governance research—I had the opportunity to present a project from my doctoral dissertation and receive feedback from professors and other participants. Furthermore, I found the intensive exchange on research topics with doctoral candidates from other countries and universities, as well as with practitioners, to be very interesting and helpful.

Thanks to the support of the GSHS, I was able to travel to Ghent from June 29 to July 5 to participate in a summer school on “Cognitive Foundations of Decision-Making.” The diverse program offered exciting insights into current research on cognitive decision-making processes—with contributions from behavioral economics, psychology, and neuroscience. In my doctorate, I focus on cognitive processes such as memory and information processing. That’s why the summer school’s interdisciplinary perspective was particularly valuable for me in discovering new approaches and methods. In addition to the high-quality lectures, the exchange with other participants and speakers was especially valuable: I’m taking away many new insights and ideas for my own research.

The GSHS grant enabled me to participate in this year’s “Translation in History – History in Translation” Summer School, which focused on the theme “Digitizing Translation History: Methods, Tools, and Approaches” and was offered by the Institute for Theoretical and Applied Translation Studies at the university of Graz. The digitization of archival material and the use of digital methods in general are highly relevant to my dissertation topic. The summer school featured lectures and workshops led by experts active in the field of translation history, particularly at the intersection with the digital humanities. For example, there was an introduction to working with “Big Data”/“Big Translation History,” to OCR/HTR (automatic text recognition of archival material), and to data visualization. Throughout the summer school, participants were consistently given the opportunity to apply the topics presented and discussed to their own research questions and dissertation topics, to discuss them in group settings, and thereby gain new perspectives. Overall, by participating in the summer school, I was able to broaden my horizons regarding the possibilities and opportunities offered by “Big Data,” automated text recognition, and data visualization, and to gain concrete ideas for new approaches within the framework of my doctoral dissertation.

From May 19 to 23, 2025, thanks to a grant from the GSHS, I was able to participate in the 2025 School on Column Generation. The event offered an in-depth exploration of the state-of-the-art Branch-Price-and-Cut method for solving optimization problems. In addition to technical input, the focus was on exchanging ideas with leading experts and emerging international researchers.

A central component of my doctoral dissertation, which examines the Christianization of Crete, is conducting a regional study. Visiting sites with significant material remains is essential for understanding their topographical location—a central aspect of my research question. This requires extensive local knowledge, for example, to verify previously documented information or to meaningfully supplement it with my own observations. The latest archaeological finds and discoveries—those not yet published—can also be much better understood on site, particularly through direct interaction with local authorities and scholars. My six-week research trip to Crete made all of this possible to a remarkable degree. During this trip, I not only took numerous photographs but was also able to establish several valuable contacts.

During my trip, I encountered one practical problem in particular: To gain access to the churches and archaeological sites, it was essential to first locate the relevant clergy or local contacts and arrange individual visitation appointments with them. This often resulted in unpredictable schedule changes and unexpected obstacles during my visits to these sites. Much of this could neither be planned in detail in advance nor fully anticipated. The grant from the GSHS was invaluable in this regard: It allowed me the utmost flexibility, which made spontaneous appointments and last-minute changes to my itinerary possible in the first place.

From March 30 to April 5, 2025, thanks to the support of the GSHS, I had the opportunity to complete a one-week research stay with Prof. Dr. Stefan Radev at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, USA. The focus was on further developing my work with BayesFlow—a framework for Bayesian parameter estimation using deep learning approaches. Through direct collaboration, we were able to discuss key methodological challenges and jointly develop new strategies for optimizing model training. Particularly valuable were the insights into the software’s current development and the exchange with other researchers who use BayesFlow in a biomedical context. The visit not only provided valuable professional inspiration but also offered the opportunity to develop new ideas for future projects. I am grateful for the support from the GSHS and am confident that this visit will have a lasting impact on my future research.

From March 30 to April 5, 2025, thanks to the support of the GSHS, I had the opportunity to complete a one-week research stay with Prof. Dr. Stefan Radev at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, USA. The focus was on further developing my work with BayesFlow—a framework for Bayesian parameter estimation using deep learning approaches. Through direct collaboration, we were able to discuss key methodological challenges and jointly develop new strategies for optimizing model training. Particularly valuable were the insights into the software’s current development and the exchange with other researchers who use BayesFlow in a biomedical context. The visit not only provided valuable professional inspiration but also offered the opportunity to develop new ideas for future projects. I am grateful for the support from the GSHS and am confident that this visit will have a lasting impact on my future research.

During my stay in Ithaca, N.Y., and New York City, I conducted research on Isaac M. Rubinow (1875–1936) at the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives (Cornell University) and the Center for Jewish History (NYC). He was a Russian-Jewish social reformer and social scientist who played a role in the development of the welfare state in the U.S. and, for a time, in Palestine. My dissertation examines, among other things, the extent to which immigrant knowledge influenced the development of the American welfare state. Rubinow plays a central role due to his own experiences with migration.

The archival work at the Kheel Center and the Center for Jewish History focused primarily on Rubinow’s personal papers and documents relating to his time in Palestine. The goal was to use photography to make the archival materials usable beyond the scope of this trip and, where necessary, accessible through translators. In particular, the unexpectedly large number of Russian-language documents and their recipients suggest a circulation of knowledge between America, Russia, and Palestine—a phenomenon I had suspected but which has so far received scant attention in the secondary literature. Additional documents provide evidence for my hypothesis that there were stronger connections with Russian revolutionary movements than previously assumed.

This trip allowed me to complete the cataloging of my source corpus. I would like to sincerely thank the GSHS for supporting this essential step in my doctoral research.

Thanks to the support of the GSHS, I was able to spend a four-week research stay from March 3 to 28, 2025, at the European Center for Algorithmic Transparency in Seville, Spain, which is part of the European Commission’s Joint Research Center. There, I had the opportunity to observe the work of the researchers on the HUMAINT team (“Human Behavior and Machine Intelligence”), which addresses research questions related to the Digital Services Act and the AI Regulation from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Through numerous one-on-one conversations with the researchers, I was able to learn about their work and projects and discuss the theses I have developed so far as part of my doctoral dissertation in law. I was also given the opportunity to present my project to the entire team in a presentation and gather feedback on it. Particularly insightful was the shift in perspective toward computer science and social science research on the use of algorithmic systems. Not only did I receive valuable literature and research recommendations, as well as helpful explanations of the technical foundations of my dissertation topic, but I was also able to expand my professional network by meeting interesting researchers from across the EU. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the GSHS for the financial support provided for my stay!

From February 5 to 15, 2025, a research stay in Italy generously funded by the GSHS gave me access to the unique resources of the Bibliotheca Hertziana, the Max Planck Institute for Art History in Rome, and the Max Planck Institute for Art History in Florence. While there, I was able to review literature I had already collected and also consult sources that are otherwise difficult to access. In addition, I visited major art collections, including the Palazzo Barberini, the Galleria Doria Pamphilj, the Villa Borghese, and the Vatican Museums, which I examined for the presence of thematically relevant works and analyzed the corresponding paintings with regard to various aspects. The research stay served to further develop my doctoral project, “Orrore and Terribilità—Horror in the Arts of the Seicento,” and was extremely successful, particularly in terms of refining my theses and research questions.

From September 23 to 28, 2024, thanks to the support of the GSHS, I had the opportunity to attend the European Communication Conference organized by the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Attending the conference allowed me to gain valuable insights for my doctoral dissertation in the field of health communication. The conference’s international focus not only provided me with in-depth and highly current insights into my own field, but also gave me the opportunity to expand my international network. In addition, I had the opportunity to attend presentations from other areas of Communication Studies, such as science and climate communication, which sharpened my perspective on interdisciplinary approaches and opened up interesting substantive and methodological perspectives for my own work.

Between September 19 and November 5, 2024, I stayed in Ankara, Eskişehir, and Istanbul to conduct research for my doctoral dissertation on Georg Rohde. He was a Professor of Classical Philology who fled to Turkey during the Hitler era and worked at the School of Languages, History, and Geography at Ankara University from 1935 to 1949.

During my stay in Ankara, I frequently visited the Faculty of Languages, History, and Geography, where I had two long conversations with Prof. Çağatay Akşit, the head of the Department of Latin Language and Literature. I also had the opportunity to see the Library of Classical Philology founded by Rohde and some of Rohde’s personal belongings. Another place where I worked in Ankara was the Hasan Ali Yücel Collection at the Central Library of Bilkent University. While working at the collection, I also conducted an interview with Prof. Mehmet Kalpaklı, the head of the Department of History and Turkish Literature, and two separate interviews with Candan Şentuna and Tansu Açık, retired professors of Ancient Greek at the School of Languages, History, and Geography.

In Eskişehir, I worked at the library of Anadolu University in the collection of the famous writer and translator Azra Erhat, who collaborated with Rohde for many years. This phase of my short stay was a very productive experience both for my doctoral dissertation and for my academic career.

During my stay in Istanbul, I worked primarily at the İSAM and Atatürk Libraries to conduct in-depth research on Turkish journals. I also attended an exhibition and a series of conferences organized at the Orient-Institut on Traugott Fuchs, another German scholar in exile. Finally, I interviewed Rıfat Bali, the founder of Libra Publishing, and Liz Behmoaras, a writer who recently published a biographical novel about Azra Erhat. I would like to thank the Gutenberg Graduate School of the Humanities and Social Sciences for making this research trip possible, which has contributed to my doctoral dissertation in many ways.

I had the opportunity to participate in a doctoral course offered by the “Swiss Doctoral Program Network in Accounting Research” at the University of Zurich from July 15, 2024, to July 17, 2024. This course was headed by Mr. Itay Goldstein, a renowned professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Over the three days of the course—each consisting of three sessions—various research papers on the topic of “Information in Capital Markets” were presented and analyzed. The course instructor discussed the specific features of the respective models and compared the different approaches. In addition, Mr. Goldstein presented one of his current research projects.

Participating in the doctoral course helped me specialize in fundamental methods for developing analytical models. The direct interaction with the course instructor and the other participants was particularly valuable, as it provided me with valuable feedback and new ideas for my research. The discussions and exchange of experiences opened up new perspectives for me and helped me critically examine and improve certain aspects of my research. By participating in the course, I was also able to expand my academic network and establish contacts with other doctoral candidates and researchers who share similar interests. This networking provides opportunities for future collaborations and the ongoing exchange of ideas and research findings.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the GSHS for its financial support, which made it possible for me to participate in this important course. This experience was a significant asset to my doctorate and played a key role in taking my research to a new level.

While attending the 2024 Academy of Management Annual Meeting in Chicago, USA, I had the valuable opportunity to participate in numerous sessions and workshops and to network extensively with other researchers. The conference not only provided me with the chance to exchange ideas with leading scholars in the field of management, but also to advance my current research projects through direct discussions with (potential) co-authors. The in-person meetings and discussions during the conference contributed significantly to the further development of my research and opened up new perspectives.

While attending the Academy of Management Annual Meeting in Chicago, USA, I was able to participate in numerous Paper Development Workshops (PDWs), such as the “Content and Textual Analysis in Organizational Research: Techniques and Applications” PDW. I was particularly pleased to have the opportunity to meet with faculty members from the School of Management & Organization at the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, USA, to discuss my research projects. I would like to thank the Gutenberg Graduate School of the Humanities and Social Sciences for the grant I received for my visit, as well as the Mendoza College of Business for inviting me to the University of Notre Dame reception.

As part of my doctorate for the DFG project “The Administration of Loss: Politics of Life and Death in Minas Gerais,” I traveled to Brumadinho and Belo Horizonte for three weeks in January 2023. During this time, I was able to reconnect with and specialize in existing research contacts, as well as establish new ones. The timing of my visit allowed me to participate in events marking the fourth anniversary of a specific incident whose ongoing consequences are central to my doctoral project: On January 25, 2019, the containment dam of a tailings pond in Brumadinho burst, resulting in the deaths of 272 people.

During the three weeks of my stay, I was able to gain various insights into the daily lives of the residents of Brumadinho. Through several site visits, I learned about the residents’ current concerns regarding mining in general and the cleanup efforts following the dam breach in particular. Volunteering during the current threat of high water and flooding gave me insight into the local emergency response chains and communication processes in the event of (foreseeable) emergencies. By observing the daily routines at the municipal polyclinic, I also gained insight into the healthcare provided to people living in the city. Last week, together with residents of the region, relatives of the deceased, and various other stakeholders (representatives of NGOs and church organizations, elected officials, activists, journalists, etc.) in the commemorative events marking the anniversary of the collapse of the retention basin, which included a bike tour, a one-day seminar, a motorcade, and a ceremony lasting nearly eight hours.

Methodologically, I conducted semi-structured and open-ended interviews with employees of the municipal administration, local and state politicians, and affected residents of the Brumadinho metropolitan area. Within the contexts outlined above, I was also able to engage in participant observation and gain firsthand experience of the daily lives of people in the region.

During my four-week stay in Costa Rica, I interviewed eleven producers and funding officers in San José, Costa Rica, for my dissertation project on the financing of film projects in Costa Rica. The level of intimacy that could only be achieved through in-person interaction allowed the interviewees to open up about their strategies and approaches for securing funding for their projects, their appreciation for the available sources, their frustration with the system, and the more informal practices they resort to . The interviewees were all very willing to talk and grateful that this topic is being addressed at the academic level, and they were open to speaking with me again.

During my research stay at the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame in the United States, I was able to benefit from the experience and expertise of distinguished professors and receive valuable feedback. Through regular interaction with Ph.D. students and members of the School of Management & Organization, as well as access to extensive databases, I was able to significantly advance my research. A big thank you to my host, Prof. Craig Crossland, Ph.D., for making this visit possible.

A research stay in Athens is practically a must for all archaeologists working on Greece. Not only is Athens home to important research institutions and their specialized libraries, but also to the people associated with them, who make Athens a unique place for networking. The primary focus of my five-week stay in Athens was, first and foremost, to specialize in Modern Greek Philology, which is essential for my doctoral dissertation. To that end, I enrolled in an intensive language course at the Modern Greek Language Teaching Center (Διδασκαλείο Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας). Immediately after the language course, I was able to visit the libraries of the schools of theology and philosophy and scan additional literature there for my doctorate.

I spent the following weeks getting to know the archaeological institutes in Athens better. The Gennadius Library and the library of the École française d’Athènes, in particular, proved to be very useful to me, as they have books that are highly relevant to my dissertation topic. I was also able to explore the Scuola Archeologica Italiana di Atene and the British School at Athens. At the end of the funding period, I successfully completed my language course and received a certificate.

Looking back, my expectations regarding Athens as a place for language learning and cultural exchange have been confirmed. I will likely have to travel to Athens at least one more time as part of my research. Fortunately, I won’t have to spend any more time enrolling in archaeological schools, since various documents and a letter of recommendation are required to use the libraries. My library research in Greece has amazed me at just how much Greek-language literature a doctoral candidate conducting research in Germany can miss out on if they consult only German libraries for their literature review. The Modern Greek Philology literature I’ve discovered—which I can now work with more easily thanks to my improved knowledge of Greek—will undoubtedly enhance and enrich my doctoral dissertation.

As part of my doctorate at the Chair of Sociology of Technology and Innovation, Social Simulations, I attended the European Social Simulation Association’s Summer School in August 2023. During this time, I was able to acquire both theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of agent-based social simulations using NetLogo. The Summer School, themed “Agent-Based Modeling for Wicked Problems,” was hosted by the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland.

During the summer school, I primarily learned about modeling complex social systems. This included not only technical lectures but also a group project lasting several days, which was presented at the end of the summer school. Through several steps—such as participatory system modeling, causal-loop diagrams, and the definition of decisive and reactive agents—all the way to programming the system in NetLogo, we collaboratively modeled complex systems. In the process, I not only learned the methodological and technical aspects but also how to collaborate in an intercultural, international, and—above all—interdisciplinary setting.

The Summer School was rounded out by daily guest speakers who presented real-world examples and best practices from their own research projects. These sessions were particularly interesting because they highlighted practical applications in everyday life and, above all, the wide variety of potential areas of application.

Looking back, I can say that the Summer School far exceeded my expectations, as I not only made progress in terms of methodology and subject matter but also had the opportunity to network with other doctoral candidates. The GSHS grant made it possible for me to attend the Summer School in the first place, for which I am extremely grateful.

Thanks to the GSHS grant program for short-term stays abroad, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the 1st International Multimodal Communication Symposium (MMSYM) in Barcelona from May 26 to 28, 2023. The symposium took place at Pompeu Fabra University and was organized by the GrEP Research Group (Prosodic Studies Group) in collaboration with the GEHM research network.

The goal of MMSYM 2023 was to bring together researchers from various disciplines who study multimodality in human communication and human-computer interaction. I had the opportunity to present my current research findings on “Priming effects from sign to spoken word in hearing toddlers exposed to sign-augmented communication” orally to a large audience and to exchange ideas with other researchers.

This was an excellent opportunity to receive feedback on my work and to gain new ideas and inspiration for my own research project. Through the many discussions and presentations, I was able to specialize in understanding multimodality in human communication in particular. In addition, the symposium offered the chance to make new connections. The atmosphere was inspiring, and I had the chance to meet many interesting people.

Overall, my brief stay in Barcelona and my participation in MMSYM 2023 were extremely enriching, educational, and challenging for me. I am grateful for the opportunity to present my research findings and to have gained valuable experience. Attending conferences is a special opportunity for young researchers to grow and learn.

This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in the “ESSA Summer School 2023,” a one-week training course on agent-based models (ABM) offered by the European Social Simulation Association (ESSA), which brings together European experts in social simulation from various fields such as the social sciences, engineering, biology, and Ecology. The training took place at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland.

In my doctoral dissertation, I examine the social processes embedded in water management, which in turn is confronted with the droughts caused by climate change. This type of socio-ecological framework gives rise to what are known as “wicked problems”—complex social systems for which there is no simple solution. In these scenarios, ABMs are very useful in various ways: They can be used, for example, to understand the concerns of different stakeholders, to identify which variables play an important role, or to analyze possible future scenarios.

The teaching team at the “ESSA Summer School 2023” came from a wide variety of backgrounds, which was very helpful in understanding how we can apply ABMs in our own projects. Being there in person made a huge difference—many of the activities and networking opportunities that took place there wouldn’t have been possible online. On the one hand, the activities were primarily participatory; we worked in groups and applied the theoretical knowledge we’d gained in practical ways. On the other hand, participants and the teaching team from all over the world were able to meet in person, and we had plenty of time to discuss our projects and careers as well as get to know one another. The support from the Gutenberg Graduate School of the Humanities and Social Sciences (GSHS) made my participation possible, for which I am very grateful.

In order to gather new material on sexuality and gender-related issues in the Ottoman Empire and to further my doctoral dissertation project focusing on homosexuality in late Ottoman and early Republican literature, I consulted the relevant archival materials at the Ottoman Archive of the Presidency of State Archives (BOA) in Istanbul, Turkey, an immensely useful and rich resource for scholars of (cultural) history. During this research trip, I reviewed as many archival documents as possible in order to gain insight into the perception of gender and sexuality in Ottoman society. In the archives, I sought to understand, through court records, what constituted sexual harassment, to what extent relationships between men were permitted and tolerated, and how the Ottoman authorities responded to homosexuality. I explored which aspects of sexuality were criminalized to the point of reaching the judicial system. Through laws and legal documents, as well as medical and psychological texts, I sought to gain insight into how sexuality was regulated in the Empire. The archival trip was extremely valuable for the development of my doctoral dissertation. The documents I discovered during this visit will play a crucial role in shaping the foundation of my research. The information I gained from the archives strengthens the theoretical frameworks I am exploring and contributes significantly to the scholarly integrity of my work. I am grateful for the support of the Gutenberg Graduate School of the Humanities and Social Sciences in making this archival visit possible.

To prepare for my doctoral project on drought and water scarcity in the Po River region of northern Italy, I traveled to Ferrara, Italy, for two weeks in June 2023. During this exploratory visit, I was able to establish initial research contacts and identify local points of contention and lines of conflict related to water scarcity.

Through semi-structured interviews and informal conversations with local residents,activists, and experts, I learned about people’s concerns, perspectives, and experiences regarding drought in general, as well as related issues such as flooding, pollution, and water privatization. It became clear how they linked these experiences to their respective political perspectives and developed strategies for coping or protesting as a result. These conversations gave me insight into the local lines of conflict, some of which were played out in relation to specific infrastructure projects. Participant observation at protest and informational events allowed me to experience debates over the power to interpret current events, as well as the associated emotions of those affected. Through observation, I was able to witness protest actions in the urban landscape and the environmental impacts of the flooding, as well as to understand the role of waterways for residents and agricultural use. The empirical data from this exploratory trip will enable me to adapt my doctoral project to the empirical context and to refine the research question.

My research stay in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, from March to August 2023 was an important part of my doctoral dissertation, “City and Identity in Iraq.” While there, I examined and documented urban spaces relevant to my research. In addition, the stay allowed me to conduct interviews and observations, as well as to visit libraries, museums, and archives. None of this would have been possible without the support of the GSHS.

My dissertation focuses on the role of cities in processes of collective identity formation. Because of its social diversity and varied urban development, Baghdad offers unique insights into this topic as a case study. Over the course of a century, the city has undergone many different phases, transforming from a “melting pot” of diverse ethnic and religious groups into a polarized city.

During my field research, my findings to date—based on my literature review and the conceptual approaches I developed—have been confirmed. Cities provide spaces where culturally diverse residents can interact and engage with one another. At the same time, urban spaces reflect social relationships and identities through their design and layout. In this context, social diversity in urban spaces plays a significant role in social cohesion. The research has led to the establishment of the concept of “cultural capacity.” This concept provides a methodological framework for studying cities in terms of their social diversity and integrative role, combining theoretical and practical approaches to urban development.

The conference “New Frontiers in Corporate Governance: Corporate Governance with Externalities” took place October 26–27, 2023, at the Royal College of Surgeons in London. Organized by Sir Oliver Hart (Harvard), Dimitri Vayanos (LSE), and Luigi Zingales (Chicago Booth), the conference explored the conflict of objectives between profit maximization and consideration of societal concerns. Through four sessions on “Purposeful Companies,” “Shareholder Value,” “Common Ownership,” and “Political Activities,” as well as a debate on “Fiduciary Duty,” the conference provided an overview of current topics in Corporate Governance. Overall, the conference provided important food for thought and networking opportunities. Through exchanges with leading scholars in this research area, I gained new insights for my doctoral dissertation.

A major criticism of research in Communication Studies and media economics is its strongly Western-oriented focus, which often assumes a media system that operates largely free from government intervention and under the influence of market forces. This often neglects media systems in the Global South, as well as those in other industrialized countries—resulting in distorted implications for Media Management. The World Media Economics and Management Conference (WMEMC), on the other hand, offers multifaceted insights into current media economics research that extends beyond the Western context.

The conference trip to Seoul allowed me to establish contacts with researchers outside my existing network and gain insights that are significant for the progress of my dissertation project and its framework. My research focuses primarily on the use of audience metrics in journalism and how this is shaped by various forms of media financing and regulatory intervention. In addition, the conference gave me an overview of current global research in the field of media economics and management through presentations on platformization, artificial intelligence (AI), and media production.

In addition, participating in the WMEMC has allowed me to build strong professional networks with young researchers in both the European and German contexts, thereby advancing my work as the young researchers’ representative for the Media Economics subject group of the German Society for Journalism and Communication Studies.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Gutenberg Graduate School of the Humanities and Social Sciences for the generous grant it provided me with for my conference visit, which has provided me not only with scholarly insights but also with new cultural perspectives.

As part of my doctorate at the Chair of Corporate Governance and Auditing, I participated in the European Auditing Research Network (EARNet) PhD Workshop from September 20–24, 2023. This workshop, designed specifically for doctoral candidates, took place in Thessaloniki, Greece, just like the EARNet conference.

During the workshop, I had the opportunity to present my dissertation project and discuss it with internationally renowned examination researchers. I received valuable feedback for my own research. I also had the chance to listen to many presentations by other doctoral candidates. During one of them, I was asked to discuss the research project that was presented.

Later, I also had the opportunity to interact with professors from other universities during organized discussion sessions. The discussions were very informative in terms of career prospects for an academic career.

The workshop was rounded out by a daily program of social activities (boat trip, city tour, gala dinner, etc.). This gave participants the opportunity to get together in an informal setting and continue to network.

Overall, the PhD workshop was a great experience that not only helped me grow professionally but also expanded my network in my research area. I am grateful for the generous grant from the GSHS, which made it possible for me to participate in the EARNet PhD Workshop.

Thanks to the GSHS grant, I was able to travel to Tokyo in August and September 2023 to conduct research for my dissertation proposal and to network with Japanese colleagues.

My doctoral project involves compiling a grammar of Mbum, a West African Adamawa language spoken in northern Cameroon. In addition to conducting fieldwork on-site to collect linguistic data, I would like to compile the limited existing literature on the Adamawa language and incorporate it into my dissertation.

As part of a large-scale research initiative by Japanese universities in the 1970s, the late Japanese professor Shunya Hino traveled to northern Cameroon, where he conducted research on a variety of Mbum. His works are difficult to access and, for the most part, have not been digitized. The research trip allowed me to consult Prof. Hino’s works in the libraries and archives of the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS), where he taught for many years.

The productive working environment at TUFS allowed me to engage in academic exchange with various colleagues at the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), as well as to network with colleagues at Osaka University and International Christian University.

My stay in Tokyo was a great asset to me and my doctoral research, as it gave me access to documents that would otherwise have been difficult to obtain, as well as the opportunity to network with teaching staff and students in African Studies at various Japanese universities. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the GSHS for this opportunity, as well as to Prof. Dr. Daisuke Shinagawa, who provided instruction and supervision for my research at TUFS.

To gain a better understanding of the discourses and global connections of the “comfort women” movement in Germany, I spent 12 days in Seoul examining the practices of remembrance among women’s rights activists in South Korea. During my stay, I visited various memorials and monuments, several museums, and the weekly Wednesday demonstration organized by the Korean Council.

I exchanged ideas with the activists and collected archival texts and reading material that are not available in Germany.

This brief stay allowed me to experience women’s rights activism in its lived form and to establish many contacts for my future research. Observing activist practices carried out under different conditions in South Korea nevertheless revealed many parallels and overlaps with activism in Germany, not least in the artistic and educational presentations in museums.

I would like to thank the Gutenberg Graduate School of the Humanities and Social Sciences for a grant that enabled me to make important connections and gain insights into the global dimension of my research topic.

As part of my co-supervision for my doctoral dissertation on Apulian literature, I traveled to Lecce to attend the Università del Salento from May 29 to June 3, 2024.

During my trip, I was not only able to interview a resident of Taranto—a city heavily polluted by Europe’s largest steel mill—and thus gain deeper insights into the local living and working conditions, but I also had the opportunity to explore the city’s ancient and historical side during my visit.

A special aspect of my trip was meeting with my Apulian co-advisor, who not only gave me access to current publications but also introduced me to existing research networks that are helping to advance my doctoral dissertation in the long term through new exchanges. I would like to thank the GSHS for its support regarding my doctoral dissertation and my experiences in Lecce.

Thanks to the GSHS grant program “Short-Term Stay Abroad,” I had the opportunity to participate in the international conference “Reason in Riga—International Forum on the 300th Anniversary.” My participation in the conference was part of the partnership between the University of Latvia in Riga and JGU, and in particular between German and Latvian Kant research. The Kant Research Center at JGU, with which I actively collaborate during my doctoral studies, was involved in organizing the conference. During my stay in Riga, I was able to establish new contacts with Kant scholars and engage in specialization in topics that are of central importance to my dissertation project on Kant’s concept of spontaneity. Finally, I had the opportunity to see Kant’s manuscripts up close, as an exhibition dedicated to the first editions of Kant’s works was opened as part of the conference. These were first published in Riga by J. F. Hartknoch’s publishing house.