People

Prof. Dr Alexander Brand

Professor of Political Science/International Relations at Rhine-Waal University. He studied Political Science, Philosophy and Media/Communication Science at the Technical University Dresden, the University of Leipzig and the New School for Social Research (Graduate Faculty), New York City. He received his PhD from TU Dresden’s Faculty of Philosophy on the question of how to conceptualize the intricate relationship of mass media and international relations. Afterwards, he moved on to the department of political science at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz where he worked as a senior lecturer and post-doctoral researcher. In addition, he held several guest lectureships, amongst others at the School for International Studies Dresden, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the European Management School Mainz.

Dr Florian Koch

Senior lecturer (Maître de conférences) at the Université de Bourgogne, UFR Langues et communication, Dijon. Former post-doctoral researcher, lecturer and coordinator of the Jean Monnet Chair at the department of political science, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. He is also associate researcher with the IS3P Institute, Paris Descartes University. He finished his PhD thesis at the Paris Descartes University and the University of Leipzig (cotutelle de thèse). His main research focuses on (transnational) societal conflicts and their expressions in a constantly changing world. He held positions as research fellow and lecturer at Le Mans University and at Leipzig University of Applied Sciences. In addition, he worked as lecturer at SciencesPo Paris and at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences.

Prof. Dr Arne Niemann

Professor of International Politics and Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration Studies at the department of political science, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. He is currently the director of the tri-national, interdisciplinary MA programme in European Studies and co-director of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence “Europe in Global Dialogue”. From 2013-2015 he was co-editor of the Sport & EU Review. His research focuses on the European integration process, European Union politics, and particularly the external relations of the EU. Arne Niemann held positions at the universities of Amsterdam, Dresden and Cambridge and was a visiting researcher for example at the European University Institute in Fiesole. He received a BSc (Econ) in International Relations from the London School of Economics & Political Science as well as an MPhil in European Studies and a PhD in International Relations from the University of Cambridge.

Dr Friedrich Plank

Post-doctoral researcher and lecturer at the department of political science, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Friedrich Plank joined the EUFoot team in 2020. He earned his PhD from Johannes Gutenberg University with a dissertation on the effectiveness of the Africa-EU Partnership on Peace and Security, and holds an MA in Conflict Studies from the University of Augsburg and a BA in Political Science from the University of Regensburg. His main research interests include EU Foreign and Security Policy, Peace and Conflict Studies, Comparative Regionalism, and Africa-EU interregionalism. He is co-speaker of the Early Career Group, International Relations Section of the German Political Science Association (GPSA).

Dr Regina Weber

Post-doctoral researcher at Rhine-Waal University. Regina Weber was the coordinator of the EUFoot project. She studied Political Science and History at RWTH Aachen, Charles University in Prague and the University of Potsdam and received her PhD from the University of Duisburg-Essen with a work on the motives and behaviour of young members in ageing catch-all parties. Her research interests cover European identity, political activism, and the behaviour of individuals in changing organisational contexts. Regina is further interested in the development of social science methodology, covering both qualitative and quantitative approaches. She previously held positions as senior advisor at the Hans-Böckler-Stiftung in Düsseldorf and as adjunct lecturer at the University of Duisburg-Essen and RWTH Aachen University. She left the EUFoot team in early 2021 to work as researcher at the German Centre for Rail Traffic Research (DZSF) in Bonn.

Tobias Heck, M.Sc.

Research associate at Rhine-Waal University. Recently graduated with distinction in Urban and Cultural Geography, M.Sc. at Radboud University Nijmegen, Tobias Heck is a prospective scientist and joined the team in April 2021. His geographical research interests involve gentrification studies, studies on subcultures and socio-spatial transformation processes. Within the field of political science, Tobias is fascinated with studies on identity formation, social cohesion and tourism induced urban conflicts.

Research Assistance

Maria-Cristina Garcia-Marin (Rhine-Waal University), Dec 2018 – Aug 2019, Jun - Sep 2021

Tilman Luca Menzel (University of Mainz), Oct 2018 – Jul 2019

Yannik Suhre (University of Mainz), Oct 2018 – Jul 2019