Members
The Promovierendenkonvent consists of the following members:
Marlene Compton (Elected Member, Vice Speaker)
My name is Marlene Compton, and I’m a PhD candidate at the chair for English Cultural and Literary Studies. My research focuses on the memory of the Holocaust in contemporary poetry, building on my previous work on antisemitism and comparative literature at the Zentrum für Antisemitismusforschung (Technische Universität Berlin) and the Peter Szondi-Institut (Freie Universität Berlin), respectively.
During my master’s degree, I was elected representative for my cohort, and shortly after joining the FAU, I founded its Queer Staff Network. These experiences have given me insight into the workings of university politics and a strong commitment to advocating for the interests of underrepresented groups.
As vice speaker of ProKo I am active in the steering committee of the Graduate Center. I also handle issues between doctoral researchers and their supervisors, meaning I offer doctoral researchers a confidential, peer-level space to talk openly about concerns related to misuse of power. Furthermore, I’m a certified mental health first responder and you’re always welcome to reach out.
Josephine F. Paul (Elected Member)
My name is Josephine. I am a PhD student in mathematics education and work in an intercultural project between Taiwan and Germany (TaiGer Noticing). In the project, we aim at a culturally sensitive measurement of teacher noticing/professional vision. Besides my work, I volunteer as a member of our professional society’s young researchers’ representatives, as it is important for me to represent the interests of other doctoral students. From this context, I have experience in planning events for PhD students and standing up for their interests. I would like to contribute my experience to ProKo. Thus, aspects that I would like to focus on are
1. Networking opportunities for doctoral students (from different disciplines),
2. More support for travel and publication funds for doctoral students,
3. More specific offers for doctoral students (e.g., for the preparation of their own courses/lectures),
4. Increasing our visibility, especially when we are affected by cuts at the university.
We are not alone in our journey – let’s shape a better PhD experience together!
Leonie Manzke (Elected Member)
Hi everyone, I am Leonie, a PhD student in Information Systems with a background in Psychology. In my research, I focus on how digital interventions shape human behavior.
For the past year, I’ve been active in ProKo, working to stay informed on key issues affecting Doctoral Researchers. After all, we can only advocate for ourselves if we 1) know what’s going on, and 2) have a seat at the table.
I truly believe diversity can be a strength and a boon, which is why I serve in the university’s Commission for Equal Opportunities. I am also a part of the Queer Staff Network (we are really cool by the way, feel free to reach out! :D). Among the scientific staff representatives in the university senate, I am also the only young(er) and female candidate.
Right now, I am particularly passionate about promoting good academic practice in the age of Generative AI. The university offers many opportunities for students to leverage AI, but we at ProKo are also pushing for solutions that support doctoral researchers – especially to provide legal clarity for those using these tools in their dissertations.
Every PhD deserves a positive journey, so let’s use our voice and support each other!
Nils Igler (Elected Member)
Hi everyone!
My name is Nils, and I have been pursuing my PhD in employment law since April 2024. At ProKo, my main goal will be to enhance the networking among the PhD students in my department, as well as (if possible) across departments,
by maintaining and expanding existing opportunities such as regular meet-ups. In general, I aim to be a contact person for all PhD students, advocating for fair doctoral conditions and decent supervision.
Best Regards
Nils
Anna Gottwald (Elected Member)
Hello everybody,
My name is Anna, and I am currently pursuing my doctoral thesis in the Department of Radiation Oncology. As a member of the graduate program GRK2599 – Fine Tuners of the Adaptive Immune Response, I have come to truly value the interdisciplinary exchange between MD and PhD students. This collaboration has greatly enriched my scientific perspective and underscored the importance of dialogue between different academic paths.
At many institutes within the Medical Faculty, MD and PhD students work side by side, creating a unique opportunity for mutual learning and growth. The role of a ProKo representative from the Medical Faculty has often been difficult to fill, largely because MD students are frequently unavailable for the full term due to clinical responsibilities or the start of their Praktisches Jahr.
With this in mind, my goal is to ensure that both MD and PhD students of the medical faculty have a strong and continuous voice within the ProKo. I am committed to serving as a point of contact for all doctoral candidates from the Medical Faculty and to foster better communication, collaboration, and representation across disciplines.
Gerrit Roellinghoff (Elected Member)
Hello everyone!
I am Gerrit, and in my second year of my Doctorate, working at the Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics. My main focus is on gamma-ray astronomy, especially focused on background simulations and survey planning.
With friends spread over many disciplines doing their PhD, I am aware of the large spread between the quality of working environments for PhD students, sometimes even within the same faculty. Often, it seems like PhD students have very little recourse against mistreatment, be it a product of the system or personal. I aim to raise awareness of PhD students’ rights and to provide backing for anyone standing up for them.
The process of doing a PhD should be enjoyable for everyone, as contributing to science is an inherently joyful thing. Everyone’s work environment should strive to meet this standard, and I want to do my part in making this a reality. During my coming term, I aim to make this one of my main topics. Feel free to contact me if you have any trouble or want to raise any issues you are having.
I am thankful for your vote during the election and hope to meet your expectations!
Best,
Gerrit
Philipp Laub (Elected Member)
My name is Philipp and I am a second-year PhD student at the Erlangen Centre for Astroparticel Physics (ECAP), working on radio detection of cosmic particles with SKA-low.
Timo Schwall (Elected Member, Speaker)
Hey Folks! I am Timo and in my second year as a PhD student at the Institute for Electronics Engineering. The focus of my research is chip design for communications, especially towards next-generation mobile communications and beyond.
My motivation to run for Proko is to ensure appropriate representation of doctoral candidates in the relevant committees and to act as a contact person in case of trouble or problems for PhD students at the FAU.
Bastian Rüppel (Elected Member)
My name is Bastian and I am currently in the second year of my doctorate. At the professorship for Fluid Systems Technology in the CBI department I work on Raman spectroscopy in gases. This is an optical measurement technique that helps us with research on any hydrogen-fuelled energy conversion system – whether it is fuel cells, internal combustion engines or whatever you can think of.
Last year, I came across the work that ProKo does in the context of the renewal of RPromO and TechFak’s FPromO. I think that showed it’s important for us as doctoral candidates to keep an eye on what is going on in the university’s committees and in that sense I want to continue the good job ProKo did so far.
Former elected members
- Mohamed Khaled Elsayed until September 2025
- Clara Tristram until September 2025
- Kian Schmalenbach until September 2025
- Julia Klaus until September 2025
- Delara Azodanlou until September 2025
- Verena Leopold until September 2025 former speaker)
- Markus Meindl until September 2025
- Ann-Katrin Hellmann until September 2025
- Shima Hosseinzadeh until September 2024
- Lisa Seuberth until September 2024
- Markus Weißenberger until September 2024
- Leonore Düfel until September 2024
- Annika Schnell until September 2024
- Timo Eckstein until September 2024 (former speaker)
- Gregor Hofmann until September 2024
- Andrew Wildermuth until September 2023
- Florian Birnmeyer until September 2023
- Willi Tang until September 2023
- Torsten Hoyer until September 2023
- Ingrid Zahn until September 2023
- Phillip Raffeck until September 2023
- Marc Vornehm until September 2023
- Julia Herrmann until September 2022
- Florian Nikolai until September 2022
- Jannik Alomo until September 2022
- Peter Tschapek until May 2021 (former speaker)
- Benedikt Slavik until September 2021 (former vice speaker)
- Vanesa Cotroneo until September 2021
- Jakob Gabriel until May 2020 (former speaker)
- Helena Muster until September 2020 (former vice speaker)
- Claudia Hachenberger until September 2020
- Sabina Walter until September 2020
- Florian Zeitner until September 2020
- Laura Kölbl until September 2020
- Simone Gehrer until September 2020
- Thorsten Wißmann until September 2020
- Timo Sestu until September 2019
- Matthias Lexow until September 2019
- Marie-Kristin Döbler until September 2019
- Maria Lehmann until September 2019
- Sabine Ebensperger until September 2018
- Robert Prophet until September 2018 (former speaker)
- Monika Doll until September 2018
- Annika Clarner until September 2017 (former speaker)
- Matthias Plennert until September 2017
- Veikko Ruth until September 2017
- Kerstin Lorek until September 2017
If you encounter any difficulties, please feel free to contact us at any time!