FiBS Research Institute

From 2020 to 2026, I worked as a Senior Researcher and Project Manager at the FiBS Research Institute for the Economics of Education and Social Affairs and the Research Institute on Lifelong Learning (FiBS RILLL gGmbH) in Berlin. I was responsible for the acquisition, design, implementation, administration, documentation and presentation of projects in the field of empirical school research (mixed methods). As the head of several interdisciplinary project teams, I was also responsible for personnel and resource planning and staff management.

A particular centrepiece of my work was leading and serving as the lead author of the first three editions of the Cornelsen School Leadership Study, commissioned by Cornelsen Verlag GmbH. My team included, among others, Klaus Hurrelmann, Hannah Glinka, Matthias Sandau, Sophia Falter and Philipp Zosel. Based on qualitative, in-depth interviews and a representative online survey, the study addressed the issues concerning school leaders in Germany, highlighted the trends identified by school leaders and placed their visions for schools and education policy at the heart of a comprehensive report. The three studies were published in German in both short and long versions under the titles „Schule zukunftsfähig machen“ (“Making Schools Fit for the Future”, 2022), „Schule stärken – Digitalisierung gestalten“ “ (“Strengthening Schools – Shaping Digitalisation”, 2023) and „Zwischen Vision und Rebellion“ (“Between Vision and Rebellion”, 2025).

Together with Hannah Glinka, I also led the development of the orientation paper „KI-bezogene Schulleitungsfortbildungen in Deutschland“ (“AI-Related Professional Training for School Leaders in Germany”), commissioned by Forum Bildung Digitalisierung and published in January 2026, as well as the 2024 school leadership survey „Schlüsselkompetenzen schulischer Führungskräfte heute und in 2030“(“Key Competencies of School Leaders Today and in 2030”) for the Berlin-Brandenburg State Institute for Schools and Media (LISUM).

Together with TERRA URBANA Umlandentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, I also ventured into the fascinating field of hydroponics and led the DBU-funded project "Lernen mit der WasserFarm - Hydroponik in der Bildung" (“Learning with the WaterFarm – Hydroponics in Education”) for FiBS RILLL. Prior to this, I had the opportunity to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the life skills programme „Lions Quest – Erwachsen handeln“ and to accompany several schools during its implementation through film (Was ist Lions-Quest "Erwachsen handeln"? Das sagen Schüler*innen ; Was ist Lions-Quest "Erwachsen handeln"? Das sagen Pädagog*innen ).

At the end of 2025, the editorial team of Bildung.Table selected me as one of the “100+10 Key Figures in Education” in Germany in the Think Tanks category.

Category / Education, Project Coordination
Employer / FiBS Research Institute for the Economics of Education and Social Affairs / FiBS RILLL Research Institute on Lifelong Learning
Period / 2020–2026
Location / Berlin
Photos / above: FiBS, below: Cornelsen Verlag GmbH
Illustration / Selin Dilara Tüysüz