Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences

01/04/2026

[Event Review]

We are delighted to reflect on our first extensive career event “Life after PhD” last week.

Our first day opened with a series of expert-led talks on career planning inside and outside academia:

Career Advice: Outside of Academia, delivered by Janina Velme (Federal Employment Agency), giving valuable insights into the job market and application strategies. Dr Anette Kremer (Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship) presented options on self-employment and politikneugedacht founder León Eberhardt talked about his founding experiences.

Career Advice: Staying in Academia, Dr Antonia Widmer-Leitz and Dr Martin Rehfeldt (Graduate Centre Trimberg Research Academy) offered strategic insights on academic career paths and third‑party funding.

Navigating Future Challenges of Working in Social Science, allowed our guests Dr Emilia Kmiotek-Meier (University of Cologne), Prof Dr Carsten Schwemmer (LMU Munich) and Dr Pascal Heß (IAB) to discuss different perspectives on AI and a changing social science landscape, moderated by Dr Simon Scheller.

The second day was dedicated to first-hand experiences from our BAGSS Alumni Network, who generously shared their career trajectories across academia, research institutes, and applied practice with our current members:

Panel 1 – University Careers: In our first panel BAGSS alumni Dr Levan Kakhishvili (ETH Zurich), Dr Johanna Sophie Quis (University of Hannover) and Dr Alina Felder-Stindt (Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona) offered insights into their careers in academia.
Moderation: Micaela Großmann

Panel 2 – Research Institutes: Our second panel included three BAGSS alumni now working in research institutes: Dr Zahra Kamal (Centre for Evaluation and Development & University of Mannheim), Dr Isabel Winnwa (Berlin School of Economics and Law) and Dr Saikat Ghosh (Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories).
Moderation: Melanie Hochmuth

Panel 3 – From Research to Practice: Our last panel of the day focused on career paths outside of academia. BAGSS alumni Dr Pia Akkaya (Disctrict Youth Association Pinneberg), Dr Linda Maria Spielmann (Genossenschaftsverband Bayern) and Dr Tobias Henson Rausch (DLR Projektträger) shared their experiences after leaving academia.
Moderation: Julia Hufnagl

The afternoon continued with a vibrant Poster Session showcasing current projects of BAGSS doctoral students. The event series concluded with the Roundtable on “Unofficial Biographies” with members of our External Academic Advisory Council Professor Carola Grunschel (University of Münster), Professor Thomas Bräuninger (University of Mannheim), Professor Stefani Scherer (University of Trento) and Professor Moris Triventi (University of Milan) moderated by BAGSS postdoctoral member Dr Stefan Hee.

We extend our sincere gratitude to all speakers, alumni, partners, moderators, council members and participants who contributed to this Life after PhD Event with their expertise and commitment.

03/02/2026

One week left to apply for a DAAD GSSP scholarship!

[Call for Applications]

Four weeks left to apply for a DAAD GSSP Scholarship for Doctoral Candidates at the Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences!

We are looking forward to your applications.

Please find all further information and the application portal on our website: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/bagss/application/daad-scholarship/

02/02/2026

[ 🗓️ Event]

Our next BAGSS Semester Colloquium, in collaboration with the Institute of Sociology, is just around the corner. We are delighted to welcome Professor Claudia Diehl from UUniversität Konstanz- The Politics of Inequality, who will present and discuss her research on students' motives for restricting academic freedom.

We look forward to this wonderful opportunity for academic exchange and fruitful discussions, and hope to see many of you there!

22/01/2026

[Event Review]

Last Tuesday, we had the great pleasure of hosting Professor Dr Laura Seelkopf (LMU), who gave a guest lecture on "The Politics of Gendered Taxation".

Despite its significant economic implications, there remains a substantial research gap in the area of gendered taxation. Professor Laura Seelkopf emphasized how discrimination within tax policies can perpatuate gender inequalities, highlighting the need to bring these concerns to the forefront of policy discussions.

She presented her survey study from France, Germany, Poland and Spain, which evaluated both subjective and objective knowledge of taxes and financing in order to understand voter preferences. Her research aims to make the invisible visible and foster greater understanding of these issues. Professor Seelkopf left us with numerous ideas on how to deepen our knowledge and address this research gap.

Thank you, Professor Seelkopf, for entertainingly presenting such an important study area and inspiring us to explore the intersection of gender and taxation in future research!

19/01/2026

[Event]

Join us tomorrow for the BAGSS Guest Lecture in collaboration with the Institute for Political Science, featuring Professor Laura Seelkopf (LMU Munich).

This lecture discusses how tax systems present a visible example of gender inequity, with women often facing higher tax rates than men. Despite developments, policies vary widely across and within countries. Professor Laura Seelkopf will present findings from a survey experiment conducted in four European nations, exploring the roots of gender-based discrimination.

We look forward to an engaging academic exchange and enriching discussion!

14/01/2026

[Call for Applications]

Four weeks left to apply for a DAAD GSSP Scholarship for Doctoral Candidates at the Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences!

We are looking forward to your applications.

Please find all further information and the application portal on our website: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/bagss/application/daad-scholarship/

23/12/2025

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences, and as it comes to a close, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and contributions, which make BAGSS a vibrant place of research and collaboration.

We wish all of you a happy holiday season and, looking ahead to 2026, a new year full of exciting experiences and great opportunities.

24/07/2025

We had the pleasure of hosting Professor Dr Gabriele Spilker from the Universität Konstanz for our BAGSS Semester Colloquium, where she presented her research project “Climate Inequalities in the Global South: From Perceptions to Protest”, which is part of the Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality". The session explored how environmental degradation and grievances affect the number of environmental protests in vulnerable societies in the Global South and the role of opportunities for political mobilisation.