Personal Profile

ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL CAREER

Since September 2002
Professor, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Germany, Institute of Education, Department of Social Work

Since 2008
Director of the Research Training Group “Transnational Social Support”

1999-2003
“Privatdozentin” (Private University Lecturer), Philipps-University of Marburg, Germany, Institute of Education, Department of Social Work

1999
Habilitation, Philipps-University of Marburg, Germany, Institute of Education, Department of Social Work

1998-2003
Professor, University of Applied Science of Darmstadt, Germany, Institute of Education, Department of Social Work

1990-1997
Assistant Professor, Philipps-University of Marburg, Germany, Institute of Education, Department of Social Work

1990
Ph.D., Technical University of Berlin, Germany, Institute of Education, Department of Social Work

1983-1990
Representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Fundation (Germany) in Peru. Consultant to the “Centro Latinoamericano de Trabajo Social“ (Latin American Centre of Social Work) (academic unit of the Latin American Association of Schools of Social Work), the “Centro al Apoyo al Sector Informal“ (Centre of Support for the Informal Sector) and the “Instituto Andino de Estudios Sociales “ (Andian Institute for Social Studies)

1982
Diplom-Pädagogin, Technical University of Berlin, Germany, Institute of Education, Department of Social Work

1981
Master of Arts, University of Chicago, USA, School of Social Service Administration; Fulbright Scholarship

COLLABORATION AND MEMBERSHIP IN ACADEMIC ORGANISATIONS

Director of the International Research Cluster “Transnational Social Support”
Member of the Board of Directors of the Centre of Excellency „Social Dependencies and Social Networks“ at the Universities Mainz and Trier, Germany, funded by the Research Ministry Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Director of the Research and Councelling Agency on Debt and Overindebtedness
Speaker of the Board of Directors, Commission of Social Work, German Society of Educational Sciences (1999-2006)
Director of the Institute of Educational Sciences, University of Mainz, Germany (2006)
Member of the Advisory Committee, Ministry for Work, Family, and Health, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Member of the Interdisciplinary Working Group „Poverty and Deds“, University of Mainz, Germany
Member of the Centre for Intercultural Studies, University of Mainz, Germany
Member of the German Society for Gerontology and Geriatrics
Member of the German Society for Educational Sciences, Social Work Section

Editorial Board

Transnational Social Review – A Journal for Social Work (Managing Editor)
Zeitschrift für Sozialpädagogik (Journal for Social Pedagogy)
Book Series “Soziale Arbeit Aktuell” (Present Issues of Social Work), Schneider Verlag, Germany
Book Series “Studienbücher Soziale Arbeit” (Introductions to Social Work), Reinhardt Verlag, Germany
Cuadernos de Trabajo Social (Social Work Journal), Spain
Der Pädagogische Blick, Juventa Verlag, Germany (until 2003)

Reviewer of various social work and social science journals

ADJUDICATION/REVIEWER

Research Grants

German Research Foundation
Centre of Excellency “Social Dependencies and Social Networks”, Germany

Study Programmes

Evaluation and Accreditation of Social Work Programmes (BA and MA)

Nomination Committees of Faculty Members

Member of various nomination committees in Germany and Canada