Why the
Zukunftskolleg?

Tobias Sutter
Research Fellow, Computer and Information Science

The field of reinforcement learning has observed impressive progress recently, which led to a technological “miracle” embedded in sequential decision-making methodology in 2017, when a reinforcement learning-based algorithm managed to successfully play Go without any human knowledge. This success highlights the tremendous opportunities in deploying data-driven systems in more demanding interactive tasks, including self-driving vehicles, distributed sensor networks and agile robotic systems, tasks that were traditionally addressed with optimal control theory methods, as they require mathematical guarantees regarding safety and reliability, for example – certificates that in general are not available in reinforcement learning. Surprisingly, we still have a very limited understanding of various aspects of reinforcement learning, including correlated data structures, approximation errors, out-of-sample policy guarantees, etc., which is why there are no methods that are guaranteed to work for all or even most problems, but there are enough methods to try on a given challenging problem with a reasonable chance that one or more of them will be successful in the end. 

Ariane Bertogg
Postdoctoral Fellow, History and Sociology

Because it helps understand newly developing inequalities between and among different age groups that slowly unfold in ageing societies.

Philipp di Dio
Research Fellow, Mathematics and Statistics

My research in mathematics tries to combine two large but mostly separate areas in mathematics. From the interaction of both fields, we hope to obtain a deeper insight into these fields and over time maybe even establish a completely new research area.

Svitlana Podplota
Associated Fellow (former Visiting Fellow), Philosophy

My research on “Enhancing Learning Outcomes through Peer Tutoring in German Higher Education Institutions: Experience for Ukraine” is important for several reasons:
•    Educational improvement: Peer tutoring has shown promising results in various educational settings and studying its potential impact on learning outcomes in German Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) can provide valuable insights into its effectiveness. Implementing successful peer-tutoring programmes can lead to improved learning experiences for students in Ukraine.
•    Knowledge transfer: Ukraine can benefit from the best practices and experiences of German HEIs in peer tutoring. Understanding the mechanisms and strategies that contribute to successful peer tutoring can facilitate the transfer of knowledge and foster educational collaboration between the two countries.
•    Addressing challenges: Ukraine’s higher education system faces challenges related to limited resources, large group sizes and diverse student backgrounds. Peer tutoring offers a cost-effective and scalable approach to address some of these challenges and improve learning outcomes.
•    Research gap: While peer tutoring has been explored in various contexts, there might be limited research on its application in the specific context of German HEIs and its adaptability to Ukraine. This research can bridge the existing gap in the literature and provide evidence-based recommendations.

Noelia Martínez-Doallo
Postdoctoral Fellow, Law

Within democratic societies, creating spaces for debate and reflection about the ethical implications of involvement in communal undertakings is of vital importance. In my postdoctoral project, I looked at the case of human participation in biomedical research to rethink the foundations of the current practice from the premises of the principle of justice. My research has the potential to contribute to the consolidation of the democratic debate and the flourishing of human communities through the reassessment of certain social institutions’ dynamics.

Daniela Rößler
Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology

In order to comprehensively understand aspects of life such as sleep and dreams, we need a taxonomically broad framework to unravel all aspects of these behaviours, including their evolution. Studying sleep in chronically understudied and underestimated creatures such as spiders not only broadens our understanding of sleep in general but also increases tangibility, curiosity and fascination about the natural world and other beings.

Eduardo Luersen
Postdoctoral Fellow, Literature

Since 19th-century submarine telegraph cables, which used latex from gutta-percha trees as insulators, and before that, global telecommunication systems have been dependent on complex combinations of artificial and organic materials. It is no different today. With the 1.5 million kilometres of laid undersea cables that connect continents to a worldwide network of computer terminals and data centres, the internet is a composite material system from frontend to backbone. As are media services, which are nowadays more and more based on globally connected platform models.

Nevertheless, digital media have for a long time been imagined and described as immaterial, ephemeral and cold. This presents a particularly paradoxical situation insofar as it becomes clear that the internet not only has very physical underpinnings but also depends on short-lived obsolescent equipment and has a significant carbon footprint. In my view, therefore, it is important to tackle this paradoxical conceptual problem, whereas on an empirical level it is just as important to understand to what extent this physical infrastructure really impacts Earth systems. Considering that the carbon footprint associated with information and communication technologies is already comparable to that of the aviation industry, and growing, I believe that research on the materialities of digital media has a significant contribution to make to discussions on anthropogenic environmental impact, for instance. Observing the development of cloud gaming services, in particular, as some of the most energy-intensive applications and one of the drivers of such infrastructure also appears highly relevant on that point. I understand that the research topic also touches peripherally on other critical debates for contemporary societies in regard to digital infrastructure, digitalization and sustainability, internet governance, media-as-a-service, platformization, to mention just a few.

Valeria Vegh Weis
Research Fellow, Law & Literature

My research focuses on the strategies developed by victim networks to confront atrocity crimes. Today, as the world once again faces the destructive consequences of war in the heart of Europe, in Ukraine, there is an urgent need for us as scholars to focus on how mass violence can be resisted, contested and prevented. 

Gabriella Gall
Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology

In my research, I investigate the interplay between individual social signalling and coordinated group behaviour from the embryo stage onwards. In social species, the ability of individuals to coordinate with others and influence their actions via the formation or dispersal of groups can be crucial for their survival. Investigating how communication behaviour used for coordination develops and depends on the social environment individuals experience will help to identify key mechanisms facilitating the evolution of group living.

María Cruz Berrocal
Associated Fellow (former Research Fellow), History and Sociology

Early European colonialism in the Pacific is an underresearched topic with implications for the history, ecology, demography and current political and social situation of the Pacific islands.

Jacob Bloomfield
Postdoctoral Fellow, Literature

My research thus far has mostly been concerned with historical attitudes towards male femininity. I argue that sexual and gender nonconformity have historically, under certain circumstances, not always precluded individuals from being tolerated, accepted, or even celebrated by the mainstream. My work ties into much-discussed present-day issues such as controversies over drag shows for children, LGBTQ-inclusive curricula in schools, and accommodations for gender nonconforming children. I have drawn on my research to comment on current affairs. For example, I recently published an article in The Telegraph, one of the UK’s most prominent media outlets, that placed recent controversies over drag performance in a historical context. The article is entitled ‘“They Helped Win the War”: The Surprisingly Mainstream History of Drag’.

Sidney Carls-Diamante
Postdoctoral Fellow, Philosophy

My research complements empirical findings by examining how psychiatric conditions (particularly bipolar disorder) affect lived experience. It thus provides humanistic, person-oriented perspectives on the effects of psychiatric conditions and symptoms.

Yeliena Kovalska
Associated Fellow, History and Sociology 

My research is important for understanding the peculiarities of the perception of social structure in Ukrainian society. I study the weight of individual characteristics of social status in determining an individual’s position in the social structure. The results of this study will help create a unified instrument for measuring social status in Ukrainian society for national samples.

Armin Bahl
Research Fellow, Biology

How brains accumulate sensory evidence and use such information to execute perceptual decisions is a long­standing question in systems neuroscience. A better understanding of the underlying circuit mechanisms is fundamentally important to explain the general computational principles of brain dynamics, how working memories are formed and maintained, and how sensations are transformed into motor outputs.

James Wilson
Postdoctoral Fellow, History and Sociology

My research project at the Zukunftskolleg looks at the way in which medieval Arabic historiographical texts were translated by 19th-century ‘orientalist’ scholars. Translations from this period laid the epistemic foundations for almost all research on Christian-Muslim relations during the Middle Ages, and non-Arabists still rely on some of these translations today. Yet, the translators made a series of editorial decisions (e.g. linguistic choices and editorial omissions) that potentially distort the underlying meaning of the original texts. My project questions whether these should be viewed as stylistic choices made by the editors or as evidence of orientalist or colonialist sentiments, which are transmitted into modern scholarship through a continued reliance on these 19th-century translations.

Gruia Badescu
Research Fellow, History and Sociology

My research examines places with difficult pasts, specifically cities undergoing transformations after war and dictatorship. I am interested in how various actors reshape the built environment and how this reconfigured urban space impacts social practices – in other words, how the built environment and social processes influence each other in times of upheaval. This research is important as it sheds light on critical aspects of urban transformation, particularly in post-conflict and post-authoritarian contexts.  My work contributes to urban studies as well as to history and memory studies, offering a valuable perspective on the interplay between urban spaces and historical ruptures and violence. Moreover, my research has relevant policy implications, and it can help urban planners, policymakers and various stakeholders to make informed decisions when it comes to post-war reconstruction and post-dictatorship urban development as well as societal healing, leading to more resilient and inclusive cities.

Mohsen Jenadeleh
Associated Fellow, Computer and Information Science

Image and video quality assessment play a pivotal role in shaping compression techniques. It enables the finetuning of methods, the optimization of the balance between file size reduction and visual quality preservation, the guidance of real-time adjustments, the improvement of encoder/decoder design, and the facilitation of rigorous benchmarking and evaluation for superior compression solutions. Ultimately, visual quality assessment metrics are instrumental in guiding the compression and streaming process, ensuring its efficiency and elevating the overall user experience.

Anamaria Bentea
Research Fellow, Linguistics

My research focuses on the development of the first (heritage) language in speakers with a migration background and the impact that the dominant (societal) language has on heritage language outcomes. It is important not only because it addresses the increasing multilingual reality of today’s society but also because it tries to better understand how the societal language interacts with and shapes the acquisition and development of minority or heritage languages in child and adult multilingual speakers. From a more practical perspective, my research is important because it can inform teachers (and parents of multilingual children) about the factors that influence heritage language development, and at the same time it raises awareness towards the importance of maintaining the heritage language in the family.

Violeta Ivanova-Rohling
Postdoctoral Fellow, Physics

My research aims at using machine-learning techniques to improve aspects of quantum computing and make general-purpose quantum computers a reality.

Cristina Ruiz Agudo
Research Fellow, Chemistry

My research focuses on the crystallization of alternative cements, such as magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H). M-S-H cements are known for their potential to be more environmentally friendly compared to traditional Portland cement, which is a major contributor to carbon emissions (approx. 7-10% of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions). Understanding and improving the properties of M-S-H cements can lead to more sustainable construction materials. 
My project focuses on controlling M-S-H’s crystallization to tailor its nanostructure and develop a competitive material. My group studies the crystallization of M-S-H from its basic building blocks. It identifies means for tuning or modifying this process at will to tailor the nanostructure using additives. The knowledge obtained will aid in developing a novel binder that could mimic conventional Portland cement but be less aggressive to the environment.

Daniel Skibra
Postdoctoral Fellow, Philosophy

I am interested in the relationship between language and thought. More specifically, I am interested in how our psychological states of desire or wanting something impact or constrain how language allows us to talk about and represent these things. There is a good deal of research on the “thought” side and on the “language” side. There is considerably less work on both together and how they interact. My research aims to fill part of this gap.

Gisela Kopp
Research Fellow, Biology

My research falls completely into the category of “basic research”, hence the answer to this question is probably the same as for many other basic researchers: it is a merit in itself to pursue purely curiosity-driven research without any direct “impact” or “applicability” in mind. That being said, there are several important points I can think of. For example, my research on sociality and evolution builds a bridge between two research fields in biology that are still pretty detached from each other, on the one hand behavioural ecology and on the other hand macroevolution. Integrating these fields has the potential to shed light on the importance of behavioural variation in macroevolution, which so far has not been considered as a major force in the processes that shape biodiversity. Methodologically, my research pushes the frontiers of non-invasive genomics in the wild and the use of natural history collections in genomic research, which will open up new avenues in the study of non-model organisms in the wild. 

Tobias Sutter
Research Fellow, Computer and Information Science

As a small university, Konstanz offers an exceptional environment for interdisciplinary work, which is of utmost importance for my research project at the intersection of computer science, statistics and mathematical optimization. I find great satisfaction in the fruitful interactions I have with individuals from the Department of Computer and Information Science and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Specifically, I have already benefited from the profound and world-leading expertise in real algebraic methods and polynomial optimization available in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. This enriching collaboration significantly enhances the quality and scope of my research.

Ariane Bertogg
Postdoctoral Fellow, History and Sociology

Because of the interdisciplinary nature of my research, it has found a home in a place where interdisciplinarity and a culture of creativity are essential pillars of the support for young scholars.

Philipp di Dio
Research Fellow, Mathematics and Statistics

In Konstanz, both areas (partial differential equations and algebra) are represented by leading researchers in their field. The ZuKo allows me to synthesize and collaborate with both fields without being only in one group, hence giving me the possibility to steer my research in the direction of the most promising outcome without being forced to use one field more than the other.

Svitlana Podplota
Associated Fellow (former Visiting Fellow), Philosophy

Konstanz is an ideal location for conducting research on enhancing learning outcomes through peer tutoring for several reasons:
•    Academic excellence: The presence at the University of Konstanz of knowledgeable researchers provides valuable guidance and support for the research project.
•    Robust education system: The University of Konstanz provides an excellent education, making it an ideal setting to study the practices and experiences of peer tutoring for potential implementation in Ukraine.
•    Multicultural environment: The University of Konstanz attracts a diverse student population, including international students. This multicultural setting offers an opportunity to explore the applicability of peer tutoring across different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, which aligns with Ukraine’s diverse student demographics.
•    Collaborative opportunities: The University of Konstanz fosters collaborations between academia, education policymakers, and stakeholders, enabling the exchange of ideas and the implementation of research findings in practice.
•    High-quality tutoring (QualiTut programme): The QualiTut programme at the University of Konstanz is a significant advantage. It is committed to ensuring the quality of tutorial work and offers tailored peer-tutor training, support for university lecturers and collaborations with individual departments to optimize tutorial work.
•    Expert mentors: The expertise of mentors in empirical educational research adds valuable insights and strengthens the project’s academic rigour.

Noelia Martínez-Doallo
Postdoctoral Fellow, Law

For me, it is the Zukunftskolleg that makes the University of Konstanz so special.

Daniela Rößler
Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology

Konstanz unites animal behaviour researchers from various fields, enabling an unmatched scientific and methodological exchange, boosting and motivating my own research further.

Eduardo Luersen
Postdoctoral Fellow, Literature

Before finishing my doctoral degree, I already thought that my research interests were stretching beyond the limits of the discipline in which I had been working in recent years. When I finished it, I had two projects in mind, both needing refinement before they were submitted. One of them, the one I am developing now, was at its core very interdisciplinary, so it was not that easy to find a department or open position that would be supportive of it – as interdisciplinarity often seems more debated than funded. For this reason, I started looking for institutional profiles that could be open to the kind of proposal that I wished to develop. It was then that I learned about the concept of Institutes for Advanced Study (IAS). While reading more about the IAS at the University of São Paulo, I found the open call for 2-Year Postdoctoral Fellowships at the Zukunftskolleg, and the description looked very welcoming to the kind of project that I had in mind, so I decided to apply.

Moreover, when I initially contacted Professor Beate Ochsner as a prospective local host in Konstanz, I was aiming at the wider perspective on gaming that she develops here, as a phenomenon to be observed also from a framework of science and technology studies. I was very happy to learn that she would be submitting a project on serious gaming, or “taking gaming seriously”, which seemed to converge with my interests in studying gaming and media from a more relational perspective, beyond ludic aspects or other theoretically generalizable frameworks. Furthermore, I learnt that the Centre for Cultural Inquiry (ZKF) at the university also had projects leaning towards infrastructure studies and that could point towards new potential collaborators.

Valeria Vegh Weis
Research Fellow, Law & Literature

The University of Konstanz has leading professors and scholars in a wide range of disciplines who are open to fruitful collaboration. Among many other activities, I have the pleasure of taking part in the workshops for female legal scholars organized by Professor Woerner and the weekly seminar on political violence organized by Professor Anke Hoeffler. I also have the honour of teaching a module in a DAAD programme for refugee students organized by Professor Hoeffler. I am also coordinating an interdisciplinary research group on colonization with my generous and inspiring host, Professor Kirsten Mahlke. 

Gabriella Gall
Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology

The University of Konstanz is an “Exzellenzuniversität” and as such a well-known research institution. In addition, the university has close ties with the MPIAB. Together, they provide an excellent working environment with a high density of world-leading academics covering a broad range of research topics. The different university departments (e.g. Biology, Computer and Information Science, and the Zukunftskolleg) and the MPIAB together form a global hotspot for interdisciplinary research on collective behaviour and integrating data collected using cutting-edge technology with novel analytical methods. The lab of my host, Dr Strandburg-Peshkin, which is part of the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, provides a stimulating environment for me to undertake the intended research. The research currently being conducted is at the forefront of both technological and analytical progress. Dr Strandburg-Peshkin, a Zukunftskolleg Fellow herself, studies the mechanisms and consequences of collective behaviour, and in particular how these are affected by the communication strategies employed by different group members. I will greatly benefit from her and her lab’s expertise in processing and analyzing large multi-modal datasets using machine-learning algorithms, while my extended expertise on meerkat group coordination (one of her group’s main research topics) is of great value to her and her lab members.

María Cruz Berrocal
Associated Fellow (former Research Fellow), History and Sociology

Konstanz is strong in the study of European colonialism and gave me the opportunity to expand this research tradition by adding the Pacific to the research areas.

Jacob Bloomfield
Postdoctoral Fellow, Literature

The University of Konstanz is a vibrant intellectual hub that provides great support to faculty and students. For example, as a cultural historian, I have appreciated the events and networking opportunities provided by the Centre for Cultural Inquiry (ZKF) and the Colloquium Modern History. In addition to attending events organized by these research networks, I have also organized talks by Professor Frank Mort (University of Manchester) and Professor Eric Lott (CUNY Graduate Center) for the Centre for Cultural Inquiry (ZKF) and the Colloquium. The subject librarians in the Communication, Information, Media Centre (KIM) have been wonderfully responsive and helpful to me throughout my time at the university.

I have been grateful for opportunities to give back to the university community. For instance, in 2022 and 2023 I presented talks at the university to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.

The City of Konstanz has offered valuable outlets for me to engage the public in my research. For example, I have presented film screenings in collaboration with the city’s Queergestreift Film Festival. In September 2021, for instance, I introduced a screening of the film Pink Narcissus (1971) to mark the film’s fiftieth anniversary.

Sidney Carls-Diamante
Postdoctoral Fellow, Philosophy

The University of Konstanz fosters an environment conducive to interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research that addresses novel and important research questions. The university supports research independence through its numerous funding opportunities for project exploration and development.

Yeliena Kovalska
Associated Fellow, History and Sociology 

My research is based on the factorial design method, which is actively used and developed at the Department of Sociology of the University of Konstanz, in particular by Professor Hinz (who is a mentor in my research).

Armin Bahl
Research Fellow, Biology

I have chosen the University of Konstanz for my research. This location is interesting for me because there is a major focus on the study of behaviour in various animal models, ranging from different species of fish to many other vertebrate and invertebrate systems. The availability of animal species that are not standard in neuroscience is very exciting for me, providing unique opportunities for collaboration. This allows me, for example, to develop novel decision-making paradigms in animal groups and to study the underlying neural basis of such behaviours, which I could not do anywhere else in the world.

James Wilson
Postdoctoral Fellow, History and Sociology

There are several factors that make Konstanz the best place for me. Firstly, I have a number of colleagues at the Zukunftskolleg and in various departments across the university who are working on similar subjects, so their feedback and collaboration helps to improve my project. This is especially true of the Department of History and my local host.

Konstanz is also a wonderful place for my wife and myself to raise our children, which has a hugely beneficial impact on my research. My wife and children are German speakers and so are very happy and settled here.

Finally, Konstanz is also quite close to the archives that are central to my research project.

Gruia Badescu
Research Fellow, History and Sociology

I came to Konstanz as a Humboldt Fellow, hosted by Jan and Aleida Assmann, who are arguably the most important scholars in the field of memory studies in Germany. Their Balzan Prize project “Reconstructing memory in the city“ was a perfect match for my research interests. As such, I chose Konstanz for its strong memory studies reputation. Moreover, the chairs of Eastern European History and Mediterranean History in the Department of History as well as the Konstanz Forum of Latin American studies provided excellent research communities that are also connected to the areas I study. Above all, the Zukunftskolleg offers the perfect framework for interdisciplinary work, and the 5-year Fellowship has been superb in allowing me to develop my multi-sited research project.

Mohsen Jenadeleh
Associated Fellow, Computer and Information Science

The Multimedia Signal Processing (MMSP) group at the University of Konstanz has a strong reputation, which ensures that collaborating with experienced experts will significantly enhance the quality and relevance of my research. Additionally, the university provides robust computational resources essential for my research, particularly in video processing and deep learning model development. The University of Konstanz supports independent, innovative and multidisciplinary research through programmes such as the Zukunftskolleg and AFF, expanding research horizons and professional networks, and opening doors to collaboration opportunities that can broaden my research scope and network. Moreover, CRC-TRR-161 (Quantitative Methods for Visual Computing) and the Centre for Human, Data, Society (CHDS) facilitate collaborations and offer opportunities to explore various aspects of my research, potentially leading to new research directions.

Furthermore, the City of Konstanz offers an excellent quality of life for researchers. Its picturesque location on Lake Constance, combined with a vibrant cultural scene and an excellent work-life balance, makes it an attractive destination for scholars.

Anamaria Bentea
Research Fellow, Linguistics

Konstanz hosts a leading centre for research on multilingualism at the Department of Linguistics, which provides a strong intellectual environment and a network of experts that help me advance (and enhance) my research. Moreover, Konstanz has all the infrastructure necessary for carrying out my research, as well as offering access to a large Romanian diaspora, which is the focus of my current project.

Violeta Ivanova-Rohling
Postdoctoral Fellow, Physics

Professor Burkard, who is a leading name in the field of quantum computing, is in Konstanz and was open to hosting me and collaborating on the topics that interest me. In addition, he later suggested additional topics that it might be possible to study using the methods I am developing, and he helped me to expand my profile.

Cristina Ruiz Agudo
Research Fellow, Chemistry

The University of Konstanz provides me with the best conditions to conduct my research in the shape of the Department of Chemistry, which stands out for its high level of interdisciplinarity and the latest technology and research equipment. The Department of Chemistry houses various outstanding facilities, benefiting researchers across the university. Our state-of-the-art laboratories are fully equipped for investigating nucleation. The titration methodology developed within the Cölfen Group (my host) is central to investigating nucleation processes. Solid materials can be characterized by atomic force, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. In the Particle Analysis Centre (PAC), the researchers have access to static and dynamic light scattering, zeta potential measurements, analytical ultracentrifugation, light microscopy, and small and wide-angle X-ray scattering. In addition, we have several cutting-edge NMR spectrometers.

Topic-wise, the Department of Chemistry at the University of Konstanz has many years’ experience in working on the factors that control the crystallization of industrially relevant materials and especially on the use of organic additives as crystallization modifiers.

Daniel Skibra
Postdoctoral Fellow, Philosophy

My research involves a good deal of interaction between philosophy and linguistics, for which the University of Konstanz is ideal for two reasons. First, there is a history of cooperation between the Department of Linguistics and the Department of Philosophy, in a way that is actually pretty rare in most universities across the world. Second, the history of the Department of Linguistics is an important one. In spite of (or perhaps because of) the relative newness of the university, it became an important focal point for work done in formal semantics and generative linguistics in the 1970s through to the 1990s (and remains so today).

Gisela Kopp
Research Fellow, Biology

During the last years, Konstanz has developed into one of Germany’s most important research hubs in the area of animal behaviour, uniting scientists with expertise on many different vertebrate species. Similarly, there is a strong research community in evolution and genomics, providing an excellent conceptual and methodological community for my research questions. In addition, the high degree of interdisciplinarity shapes a stimulating intellectual environment. 

Tobias Sutter
Research Fellow, Computer and Information Science

Thanks to the generous financial support from the Zukunftskolleg, I have been able to start conducting my research project effectively. Additionally, this funding has provided me with the opportunity to engage with other fellows and researchers across various departments, fostering a collaborative and intellectually stimulating environment. As a further advantage, I have the privilege of recruiting a doctoral researcher with funding from the Zukunftskolleg, which will significantly accelerate the progress on my research question, making it a truly valuable investment in advancing my work.

Ariane Bertogg
Postdoctoral Fellow, History and Sociology

It enables me to develop my own research programme, start collaborations, apply for funding and be flexible with my time.

Philipp di Dio
Research Fellow, Mathematics and Statistics

In my opinion, the ZuKo gives me the two things any research requires: time and money. These might seem obvious, but they are absolutely essential. Time is given not only by a 5-year contract but also by not needing to teach (even if teaching is highly appreciated especially for academic development). Money is provided by a more than moderate allowance of €3,000 a year, which allows me to visit at least two international conferences a year where I can present my research.

Besides these two most important ingredients, the ZuKo additionally provides assistance and support in applying for further funding, career planning, and exchange with fellow postdoctoral researchers at the same career stage from the same and other fields, which allows me to gain academic experience faster.

Svitlana Podplota
Associated Fellow (former Visiting Fellow), Philosophy

The Zukunftskolleg significantly contributes to this research in the following ways:
•    Research support: The Zukunftskolleg offers a vibrant and interdisciplinary research environment that encourages innovative research ideas. As a fellow at the Zukunftskolleg, researchers gain access to various resources, including funding opportunities, workshops and seminars, which can help advance the research on enhancing learning outcomes through peer tutoring.
•    Networking opportunities: Being part of the Zukunftskolleg community allows researchers to connect with scholars from diverse disciplines. This interdisciplinary approach can enrich the research and offer fresh perspectives on the potential impact of peer tutoring.
•    Data access: The Zukunftskolleg has access to relevant educational data or collaborations with local institutions, which can facilitate data collection and analysis for the research.
•    Dissemination support: The Zukunftskolleg encourages the dissemination of research findings through conferences, publications and public engagement. This support can help ensure that the research outcomes reach a broader audience.

Noelia Martínez-Doallo
Postdoctoral Fellow, Law

Interdisciplinarity is one of the leading principles of the Zukunftskolleg’s mission. While it is certainly important to explore those areas and approaches falling between academic disciplines, the current system does not foster interdisciplinary research, probably because it is characterized by being time-consuming and less predictable. The Zukunftskolleg bridges this gap by offering both financial and institutional support for early career researchers willing to take the risk to explore new pathways.

Daniela Rößler
Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology

Besides the valuable scientific exchange, the Zukunftskolleg offers the very substrate for my research by offering unparalleled scientific freedom and independence as well as monetary support. All this is offered with minimal bureaucracy and genuinely supportive and friendly staff, who create an incredibly motivating and inspiring research environment where I can thrive.

Eduardo Luersen
Postdoctoral Fellow, Literature

The Zukunftskolleg pursues the idea of supporting bold, experimental research at an early stage of researchers’ careers. In my view, the level of independence that you have to try out new things is very beneficial and quite special, as it makes a contribution not only in terms of supporting but also catalyzing new research ideas. In addition, nourishing a culture of interdisciplinarity is not only an institutional discourse but also works on a community level: by working with talented colleagues with diverse expertise, I am able to learn more about the science happening in different disciplines and have a wider panorama of current debates, dissensus and advances in other areas, which I consider very enriching in terms of epistemological thinking and in my development as a permanently curious scientist. Fortuitous encounters with other disciplines are also allowing me to explore pathways that I did not consider before arriving in Konstanz: I am organizing a workshop together with a colleague from the Department of History, and I have potential collaborations to be discussed with colleagues in economics and limnology.

In sum, I do not know of that many institutes which would give you a position as an employee to test pilot research ideas right after your doctoral degree. This is a pretty pragmatic statement, but the particular combination of having a position as an independent researcher and the stimulus to try different, experimental projects while still at an early career stage indeed contributes very directly to research. It works particularly well in my case as a researcher who wishes to develop a new research agenda after their doctoral degree. When you have the support and are provided with the infrastructure to conduct inceptive research, you feel reassured about exploring novel terrain and boundary objects extending beyond the fringes of your discipline. Of course, being part of a lively, multidisciplinary community of fellows and having an administration supportive of the idea also feeds into that. In addition, support for travelling to conferences to present provisional results and to organize workshops and scientific retreats with external collaborators has also been very beneficial for mid- to long-term research prospects.

Valeria Vegh Weis
Research Fellow, Law & Literature

The Zukunftskolleg offers an interdisciplinary, international and creative atmosphere that allows me to pursue my individual research while engaging in inspiring and nourishing collaborations with my peers in an outstandingly beautiful environment and with the support of dedicated staff. Among many other activities, I had the opportunity to co-teach a seminar, design an interdisciplinary research project and organize an international workshop with various colleagues from the ZuKo.

Gabriella Gall
Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology

Aside from financial support (i.e. paying my salary together with the CASCB, which is extremely helpful!), the Zukunftskolleg has given me a number of advantages and supported me over the last couple of years. Among these are mental support, fascinating insights across many disciplines, support for an outreach and teaching project (Decolonialization of collective behaviour research: Empowering young South African scientists for engaging in field research) as well as a research visit to New Zealand to study Pūkeko (Porphyrio melanotus) and to foster new collaborations with James Quinn of McMaster University, Canada, and Dr Kristal Cain of Auckland University, New Zealand. Furthermore, on multiple occasions I benefited from close interactions with senior fellows and visiting researchers at the Zukunftskolleg, e.g. through collaborations or discussions/feedback.

María Cruz Berrocal
Associated Fellow (former Research Fellow), History and Sociology

The Zukunftskolleg contributed stability to my research work, which is very important because planning and developing field work in faraway areas is a medium- and long-term task in itself. The Zukunftskolleg also has a variety of financial means, as well as expertise in different fields that I could absorb into my research through conversations with colleagues and by learning about new research fields that have turned out to be very relevant for me, e.g. tropical ecology.

Jacob Bloomfield
Postdoctoral Fellow, Literature

The Zukunftskolleg has provided me with the time, freedom and financial resources necessary to carry out ambitious writing and research initiatives. As a Zukunftskolleg Postdoctoral Fellow, I have published a book based on my doctoral thesis, carried out research for my new postdoctoral project and started producing published outputs (e.g. my second academic monograph) based on my new postdoctoral project, among other endeavours.

The freedom and resources provided by the Zukunftskolleg have ensured that my published outputs are of high quality. For example, as a Zukunftskolleg Fellow, I was able to devote two years to turning my thesis into a monograph. The arguments in my book are significantly sharper and better articulated, and the prose is more readable, compared to my thesis. If I had been working under a tighter deadline, such as the one imposed by the one-year Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship to which I was accepted around the same time I was accepted to the Zukunftskolleg, my monograph would have been less impactful.

The Zukunftskolleg has furnished me with networking opportunities and a dynamic intellectual environment. For example, through the Zukunftskolleg’s Senior Fellowship programme I was able to bring Professor Eric Lott to Konstanz. Professor Lott has been a valuable mentor to me during and after his Senior Fellowship period. As a scholar of the history of blackface minstrelsy, Professor Lott has offered me particular insights regarding the dimensions of my postdoctoral project pertaining to African American studies.

Sidney Carls-Diamante
Postdoctoral Fellow, Philosophy

The interdisciplinary environment of the Zukunftskolleg provides access to knowledge bases outside my own field. In turn, this exposes me to different perspectives, ideas and questions that feed back into my own research.

Yeliena Kovalska
Associated Fellow, History and Sociology 

For me, the Zukunftskolleg has become the place where my research was born, a place where all my research ideas are supported, where I am helped in their implementation and where my career is developing. This is a place where you, as a scientist, are truly important, you can be independent, free and follow your own ideas.

Armin Bahl
Research Fellow, Biology

The Zukunftskolleg provides an exceptional platform for interdisciplinary scientific exchange across the natural sciences and the humanities. This stimulating intellectual environment allows me to put my zebrafish decision­making models into a larger context and enables the testing of new ideas in broader collaborations. Furthermore, the outstanding funding support measures provided through this institution largely facilitate my research and help to explore unconventional perspectives that would not be possible otherwise.

James Wilson
Postdoctoral Fellow, History and Sociology

The Zukunftskolleg provides the best possible conditions for independent postdoctoral research. We are given space and time to develop our research, as well as opportunities for funding which were above and beyond any of my past experiences before I arrived in Konstanz. We also have no teaching obligations, which means we can take a semester off to focus on key projects if necessary.

A special community feeling exists at the Zukunftskolleg, encouraged by the Central Office and the fellows. This is fostered through collaborative activities and seminars. This produces an excellent environment for researchers while also acquainting us with new methodologies, approaches or mindsets that are applied in different academic disciplines, which specialists working exclusively in their own individual fields can often miss out on.

Gruia Badescu
Research Fellow, History and Sociology

The Zukunftskolleg offers a fantastic environment – the research support team is wonderful, dedicated and helpful, and, also important, upbeat, friendly and conducive to a great atmosphere (even via Zoom, which marked the first 18 months of my fellowship). I started during the pandemic lockdowns, and our first year was online, and I have been so happy to return to in-person exchange. The research fellowship and the research allowance are instrumental to conducting the project, doing archival and field research and travelling to conferences. The best aspect is that the funds can be used flexibly for research costs and conference trips, allowing the project to transform and develop and not committing sums years in advance. Through co-funding, I was able to publish two particular pieces open access that reflected the voice of interlocutors I really wanted to be public. Through the Intersectoral Cooperative Programme funded by the ZuKo, I was able to take my research on Beirut and Sarajevo further and shape a visual project together with film maker Sabine el Chamaa. The Transdepartmental Collaborative Teaching programme allowed for innovation in the classroom in a class on memory and justice co-taught with law fellow Valeria Vegh-Weis. Through the Senior Fellowship programme, I was able to invite Professor Alexander Etkind, a renowned expert on Russia whom I knew from my doctoral degree studies in Cambridge, to join us at the Zukunftskolleg. The Zukunftskolleg also sponsored the stay of Paula Tesche from Chile, with whom I have collaborated since 2018, and of the CAT group on memory of transitions led by Ksenia Robbe. Various trainings and a personalized coaching programme provide insights into the intricacies of the academic world, as well as approaches to diversity and leadership. From 2021 to 2023, I was part of the Executive Committee of the Zukunftskolleg, on which I was very happy not only to be able to contribute to the broader workings of the institute and the community but also to learn the intricacies of academic administration.

Mohsen Jenadeleh
Associated Fellow, Computer and Information Science

The Zukunftskolleg played a crucial role in the success of my application to the German Research Foundation by providing essential financial support for my initial research during the proposal writing phase. Moreover, it promotes interdisciplinary research through regular Jour fixe meetings, seminars, networking opportunities, and by encouraging collaborations among Zukunftskolleg fellows and other researchers.

Anamaria Bentea
Research Fellow, Linguistics

In addition to the financial support needed to conduct my research, the Zukunftskolleg offers me the unique opportunity to do research in a truly interdisciplinary environment and thus to obtain input from different disciplines and to make the findings of my research relevant to a broader community of scientists. Conducting my research at the Zukunftskolleg gives me the opportunity and motivates me to search in more depth for links between my research and that of other fellows and facilitates the possibility of creating interdisciplinary collaborations which would otherwise not be envisaged. Moreover, the Mentorship Programme and the Senior Fellowships will allow me to establish collaborations with internationally renowned scholars.

Violeta Ivanova-Rohling
Postdoctoral Fellow, Physics

The Zukunftskolleg has made my interdisciplinary research possible in the first place, given that I come from a computer science background but want to work with theoretical physicists. The Zukunftskolleg finances conferences and visits.

Cristina Ruiz Agudo
Research Fellow, Chemistry

The project I proposed for the ZuKo was at the interface between chemistry, material sciences and engineering (as I am). I decided to broaden my path after my postdoctoral degree to apply the skills I gathered during my doctoral and postdoctoral degrees on the topic of cement, where this research approach covering nano and microscales in the very early stages of crystallization has yet to be used extensively. The ZuKo allowed me to do it, to move away from what I knew and start from scratch. This was a risky decision on the part of the ZuKo (and perhaps by me); not many institutions would have trusted this turning point in my career.

Daniel Skibra
Postdoctoral Fellow, Philosophy

It provides a unique opportunity for me in several ways. All my training was in the US context, where the funding model for early career researchers is very different. I came out of this context having little idea of how to put together a promising application for my own project for third-party funding in the German and European context. That is, I knew how things worked in Germany, but I would have been unlikely to be able to do it myself. Added to this is the challenge of doing interdisciplinary work; though interdisciplinary work is often spoken about as being desirable, there is also the risk that members of neither discipline will recognize it as terribly important to their own intra-disciplinary concerns. The ZuKo is giving me the opportunity to develop and pursue my own project in a way that would not have been realistic for me otherwise and to take the time to develop the interdisciplinary connections in such a way that they become an asset rather than a liability to the project.

Gisela Kopp
Research Fellow, Biology

The freedom and independence at the Zukunftskolleg allow me to flexibly shape my research programme and not be constrained by tight-knit work packages that need to be fulfilled. Examples are the possibilities to receive co-funding to explore new and promising research directions or to invite distinguished collaborators who can serve as valuable counterparts and mentors. The interdisciplinary peer group at the Zukunftskolleg helps you to augment your horizon and situate your own research ideas in a broader picture and always challenge your own viewpoint or perspective.

Tobias Sutter
Research Fellow, Computer and Information Science

Submit your application to the Zukunftskolleg – it is a fantastic organization!

Ariane Bertogg
Postdoctoral Fellow, History and Sociology

Be bold in your proposal, dare to think outside the box and most importantly – choose a topic that you are truly interested in: you will spend the next years married to it.

Philipp di Dio
Research Fellow, Mathematics and Statistics

I advise possible applicants to the ZuKo to be open-minded with respect to other scientific fields. While time spent with other fields might seem at first to be unnecessary and lost, from the exchange with postdoctoral researchers from other fields at the same academic age you can gain a lot of academic experience and identify possibilities for forming your own career path or just learn how to deal with everyday university duties.

Svitlana Podplota
Associated Fellow (former Visiting Fellow), Philosophy

For Zukunftskolleg applicants seeking a position or fellowship, consider the following advice:
•    Demonstrate excellence: Showcase your academic achievements, research experience and any relevant publications or contributions to your field. A strong track record can strengthen your application.
•    Collaboration potential: Highlight your ability and willingness to collaborate with other researchers at the Zukunftskolleg. Emphasize how your expertise can complement ongoing projects or initiatives within the institution.
•    Unique perspective: Emphasize the unique perspective you can bring to the research community and how your background and experiences can enrich the intellectual diversity of the Zukunftskolleg.

Noelia Martínez-Doallo
Postdoctoral Fellow, Law

Zukunftskolleg fellowships offer many advantages to winners, yet it is important to have a clear idea of the objective and to pursue and trace a roadmap as soon as possible in order to successfully navigate the postdoctoral phase. For instance, the ZuKo offers a high degree of independence and freedom to its fellows which is beneficial in numerous senses. However, it is very important to establish sufficiently strong connections with departments at the university, otherwise there is a risk of finding yourself conducting research in isolation.

Daniela Rößler
Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology

Do it!!! :) For everyone seeking scientific freedom and independence, this is the programme for you to grow as a researcher.

Eduardo Luersen
Postdoctoral Fellow, Literature

The advice I have already been giving to fellow researchers looking for a position as a postdoctoral fellow is to apply with the projects they believe to stretch the margins of their previous studies or their current interests – especially if they present a more experimental character. As the Zukunftskolleg offers good financial and non-monetary support to develop fresh ideas and to cooperate with new people, applicants can expect a useful platform to develop their research, but also their proposals for longer-term projects, with support from the community, the institute and the university. I would also advise them to think in advance of interesting international researchers with whom they would like to collaborate because the ZuKo offers excellent possibilities to kickstart such cooperations, and these could nurture enduring scientific partnerships.

Especially for international colleagues coming from afar: continuing a career on a different continent sometimes looks like starting completely anew. It poses unimagined challenges and risks, career-wise and on a personal level, but also opens up new and unexpected opportunities. So decisions go beyond research subjects, and several issues need to be balanced. In the end, it looked clear to me that the academic conditions I would find suited very well to the agenda that I wanted to start pursuing in my career, and that balancing other factors would be an issue. In this sense, the outstanding working conditions that the institute offers were also very important for my decision to move to Konstanz. Furthermore, the institute and the university offer the opportunity to have a good work-life balance, and this has a positive impact not only on your personal life but also on your research. Putting all this into perspective, I think that the fellowship offered me a superb opportunity to take the professional and personal risks that such a complex relocation process encompasses. I would advise applicants everywhere, but especially international ones, to take this into consideration.

Valeria Vegh Weis
Research Fellow, Law & Literature

Explore the wide range of possibilities and scholars working at the university and assess how can you better engage with them through your research. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you!

Gabriella Gall
Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology

Apply. If you get it, enjoy the opportunities and independence, engage with the people at the ZuKo and your host institute.

María Cruz Berrocal
Associated Fellow (former Research Fellow), History and Sociology

I would encourage anyone needing to invest a great deal of time just to set up appropriate conditions to develop particular research topics to apply for a position at the Zukunftskolleg as it is probably a unique institution in Europe in this regard for postdoctoral researchers.

Jacob Bloomfield
Postdoctoral Fellow, Literature

I would wholeheartedly recommend the Zukunftskolleg to any scholar looking to develop their research in a vibrant academic community, whether through a short-term or longer-term fellowship. My main, not particularly novel, advice would be: join the Zukunftskolleg with a specific plan and specific goals in mind. Freedom to pursue your own research agenda is a great feature of the Zukunftskolleg, but this freedom must be used effectively. The Zukunftskolleg presents scholars with a valuable and unique opportunity to develop their networks, research, and publication record; you must take care not to squander that.

Sidney Carls-Diamante
Postdoctoral Fellow, Philosophy

The foremost advice I would give is to be prepared to present research, in written and oral form, in ways accessible to as diverse an audience as possible. This will allow fruitful engagement will colleagues from different disciplinary backgrounds who each view research questions from different angles.

Yeliena Kovalska
Associated Fellow, History and Sociology 

Try and apply, don’t be afraid of your ideas (even the most daring ones) because the Zukunftskolleg is the place where real science lives, no matter where you are from (geographically and scientifically).

Armin Bahl
Research Fellow, Biology

Try something new and be bold enough to leave your academic comfort zone. Research across disciplines is a lot of fun, and you will gain new perspectives on scientific research in general.

James Wilson
Postdoctoral Fellow, History and Sociology

Developing a strong professional connection with your host department is really important and actually reinforces the benefits of the Zukunftskolleg. 

There are some practical things about living in Konstanz. For example, it can be difficult to find accommodation in Konstanz, and there are specific deadlines in the spring for registering your children at local Kindergartens that it is important to be aware of.

Gruia Badescu
Research Fellow, History and Sociology

Find a host who is not only interested in your research but also supports your integration in the department here, learning German helps a lot. My experience of being well integrated both at the ZuKo and in the department has been truly valuable and enjoyable.

Mohsen Jenadeleh
Associated Fellow, Computer and Information Science

I would advise Zukunftskolleg applicants to apply for financial support for conducting preliminary research, as this is instrumental in crafting strong proposals for third-party funded projects.

Anamaria Bentea
Research Fellow, Linguistics

The Zukunftskolleg represents a great opportunity to advance your own research and offers generous support measures to do so. However, it is a highly interdisciplinary institute, thus Zukunftskolleg applicants should identify the interdisciplinary aspects of their research and how these could fit into the existing fellow community.

Violeta Ivanova-Rohling
Postdoctoral Fellow, Physics

The Zukunftskolleg is a unique programme with respect to the flexibility and support of researchers. Make use of the large spectrum of tools and support provided by the Zukunftskolleg.

Cristina Ruiz Agudo
Research Fellow, Chemistry

1. Talk to the host first and think about what it would be like in their working group if you are accepted. 
2. Talk to a current or a former fellow in your department to see how integration within the department works.
3. Take part in the Executive Committee (EC) as soon as possible. It is a good learning process of how things work within the ZuKo. 
4. Make use of the funding schemes from the very first day. Time flies.

Daniel Skibra
Postdoctoral Fellow, Philosophy

I think the fit with and the relationship to your host matters. I am not sure that my application would have been successful if I had not already had a close and productive relationship with my host(s), which could be reflected in my application materials.

Gisela Kopp
Research Fellow, Biology

Zukunftskolleg fellowships are different from normal postdoctoral fellowships. They come with more freedom and many opportunities, but also the need for a lot of proactiveness, an interest beyond the own research project, appreciation of enlarging your horizon and willingness to always challenge yourself.