Field of appointment: Sociology/Management Social Change
From March 2020 to April 2025 Vice-Rector for Research
2016-2020 and since April 2025 Director of the Research Institute for Transformation, Housing, and Social Spatial Development (TRAWOS) at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences
Research Areas
Theory and empirical research on social change processes (post-socialist transformation, modernization, revolution and reform, innovation, etc.)
Political sociology of social inequalities (stratification and classes, elites, minorities, gender, recognition and disregard, welfare regimes, social participation, etc.) as well as political radicalism and populism
Social development and regional structural change in peripheral, rural areas
Empirical focus: Central and Eastern European societies, East Germany and German reunification
Current Research Projects (project management) at TRAWOS
ATRAKTIV - Building transformative capacities to activate regional innovation systems (11/2022 – 10/2025)
Elitenmonitor - Underrepresentation of East Germans in key leadership positions: Development over time, mechanisms, options for action (08/2022 – 07/2025)
FioKo - Promoting Women in Education and Careers – ESF Junior Research Group “Promoting Women through Individual and Organizational Competencies in Education and Careers (MINT)” (01/2023 - 12/2025)
Current Research Projects (third-party funded projects) at the HSZG
2024-2027 Transfer and Practical Project „Jugend bewegt Region – Region bewegt Jugend“ / "Youth Vision Action" (JuBReg) at TRAWOS: joint project with Hillersche Villa (Zittau), IHI Zittau (TUD), Telux Weißwasser, KuFa Hoyerswerda, funded by STARK funds from the federal government, financial volume of the TRAWOS project approx. €130,000; employee: M. Melzer (parental leave replacement 07/2025-10/2026: M. Börjesson), link: https://trawos.hszg.de/projekte-publikationen/aktuelle-projekte/jubreg
2024-2026 Research and Transfer Project „Zielona Przyszłość Pogranicza/ Green future for the border region“ at ZIT, joint project with Karkonoska Agencja Rozwoju Regionalnego S.A. (lead partner) and TGZ Bautzen, co-applicant/co-project manager (at the HSZG with Prof. S. Scholz), funded by the EU as part of the ERDF funding program, financial volum €950.000 (share of HSZG: €550.000), employee at the HSZG: C. Kuhrig, B. Benesch-Jenkner, link: https://karr.pl/zielona-przyszlosc-pogranicza-nowy-projekt-karr-s-a/
2023-2025 Research Project FioKo - Promoting women through individual and organizational competencies in education and careers (MINT): at TRAWOS, joint project with 3 other universities in the Free State of Saxony with the lead partner TU Dresden, co-applicant/co-project manager with Prof. M. Dshemuchadse for the HSZG, funded by the EU/Free State of Saxony as part of ESF funding, financial volume: ca. €130.000, employee: Bernadette Rohlf, link: https://trawos.hszg.de/projekte-publikationen/aktuelle-projekte
2023-2025 Practical Project Innovation Management in the joint project Lausitz Life & Technology: at ZIT, Applicant/Project Manager, funded by the BMBF, financing volume: ca. €180.000, employee: Birgit Benesch-Jenkner/Nadja Busch, link: https://life-and-technology.eu/
2022-2025 Research Project Building transformative capacities to activate regional innovation systems (ATRAKTIV): at TRAWOS, Applicant/Project Manager, joint projects with IÖR Dresden (lead partner), ISInova Berlin, HU Berlin, IfL Leipzig, funded by BMBF, financial volume: ca. €250.000, employees: Leonie Liemich, Renke Scholz (WHK), Raffael Hermann (WHK), link: https://trawos.hszg.de/projekte-publikationen/aktuelle-projekte
2022-2025 Research Project Elitenmonitor: Obstacles and bottlenecks to advancement: at TRAWOS, Applicant/Project Manager, joint project with the Univ. Leipzig (lead partner) and Univ. Jena, funded by BKAmt, financial volume: ca. €230.000, employee: Jan Schaller, Mara Börjesson, link: https://trawos.hszg.de/projekte-publikationen/aktuelle-projekte
2022-2025 Research and Transfer Joint Project Lausitz Life & Technology: at ZIT, Co-applicant/Overall project manager for the HSZG and the consortium, joint projects with the ULT Löbau, IWU Zittau and district Görlitz, funded by the BMBF as part of the program „WIR“, financial volume 2022-2025: ca. €4 Mio. (including investment funds), link: https://life-and-technology.eu/
2022-2025 Practical and Research Project L&T Strategy, Sustainability and Transfer analysis (strategy development project) in the joint project Lausitz Life & Technology: at ZIT, Applicant/Project Manager, funded by the BMBF, financial volume: ca. €400.000, employees: Leonie Liemich, Sven Müller, Lucas Stöckmann, link: https://life-and-technology.eu/
Doctoral Candidates
Cornelia Müller, M.A. (in historical studies); Topic: “Fire and firefighting in the 18th and 19th centuries, using the example of the Upper Lusatian towns of Bautzen, Görlitz, and Löbau” (since 2019, supervised jointly with Prof. S. Rau, University of Erfurt)
Sinziana Schönfelder, Dipl.-Sozialwiss. (in historical studies); Topic: “Understanding that history is in God's hands” – The role of religion in the transformation process in Romania from the 1989 revolution to EU accession in 2007 (since 2019, supervised jointly with Prof. F.-L. Kroll, Chemnitz University of Technology)
Jan Schaller, M.A. (in Political Science); Topic: “Power configurations within the European migration regime: hotspots as places of (informal) negotiation?” (since 2020, supervised jointly with Prof. Helen Schwenken, University of Osnabrück)
Johannes Böhnlein, M.A. (in political science); topic: “Path dependency of informal institutions and democratic quality in Central Eastern Europe” (since 2020, supervised jointly with Prof. Joachim Lauth, University of Würzburg)
Frau Susanne Lerche, MA (in sociology); Topic: “Women as initiators of civic engagement in Lusatia” (since 2023, supervised jointly with Prof. Alexandra Retkowski, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg)
