Current Fellows 2025

Prof. Hao Wang

Degree: Prof. | Program: Dresden Senior Fellowship | Timeframe: November 7 – November 21, 2025 and May 20 - June 20, 2026 | Host Institution in Germany: Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute for Structural Analysis| Host: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Michael Kaliske

Prof. Wang’s research focuses on developing sustainable, resilient, and smart roadway infrastructure through the integration of innovative materials, advanced modeling, and data analytics. He received his Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011 and began serving as a professor and graduate director in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, in 2017.

Professor Wang has been the Principal Investigator or Co-PI of over 60 projects and has published over 300 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers. His publications are well cited by the research community around the world, with Google Scholar citations of 15,031 and an h-index of 67. He has conducted pioneering research in multi-scale and multi-physics modeling of infrastructure materials and vehicle-tire-pavement interaction.
In 2023, he was elected a Fellow of the Engineering Mechanics Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He also received numerous awards, including the Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize from ASCE (2022) and the AASHTO High-Value Research Award (2014 & 2024).

Supported by the Fellowship Program, Prof. Wang will visit TU Dresden for two weeks in November 2025 and four weeks in the summer of 2026. His area of research fits perfectly within the thematic context of the SFB/TRR 339 (Digital twin of the road system) project, for which an international network is being built with partners including Rutgers University, Marche Polytechnic University and the University of Cambridge. An international degree programme on the subject area of SFB/TRR 339 is currently being introduced, involving IIT Madras and the University of Brasilia. Research activities on the topic of 'Digital Twin of the road system’ are based on an internationally networked, holistic approach to digitising road and transport infrastructure, in which Prof. Wang's fellowship plays an integral and active role.

Dr. Evgeny Bondarenko

Degree: PhD Physical Chemistry | Program: Dresden Junior Fellowship | Timeframe: October 1, 2025 – January 29, 2026 and another 3 months planned | Host Institution in Germany: Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Institute of Electrochemistry | Host: Prof. Inez Weidinger

Dr. Evgeny Bondarenko currently works both as a systems software development engineer and researcher at the Silesian University of Technology. He received his PhD in Physical Chemistry from the Belarusian State University in 2020.

As part of the Fellowship, Dr. Bondarenko will carry out a short-term project on the synthesis and characterization of semiconducting bismuth oxysulfide (BOS) films together with Prof. Weidinger's research group. The results of the project will subsequently serve as the basis for funding applications. In addition, Dr. Bondarenko will pass on his expertise in the form of lectures at seminars and group meetings and share his practical skills with research group members and students.

Dr. Bondarenko is one of the outstanding young researchers in the field of semiconductor film growth and its photoelectrochemical characterization. In 2018, his research was awarded the fourth prize of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and the Foundation for the Promotion of Education and Science for Young Scientists. To date, Dr. Bondarenko has co-authored 13 research papers and is the author of 2 patents.

Prof. Dr. Zoran Vondraček

Degree: PhD Mathematics| Program: Dresden Senior Fellowship | Timeframe: July 13, 2025 – August 15, 2025 | Host Institution in Germany: Faculty of Mathematics, Institute of Mathematical Stochastics | Host: Prof. Dr. René Schilling

Prof. Dr. Zoran Vondraček, who received his doctorate from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1990, has been Professor of Mathematics at the University of Zagreb since 2002.

During his stay as part of the Dresden Senior Fellowship, Prof. Vondraček will work together with researchers from TU Dresden on the third edition of the research monograph “Bernstein Functions”. The work, the second edition of which was already part of TU Dresden's Excellence Initiative, is intended to consolidate the work's position as a standard reference in the field.

In addition to his research work, Prof. Vondraček will offer weekly “workshop talks” for advanced students, doctoral candidates and scientists, in which he will report on current progress. His stay will also deepen the existing successful collaboration between TU Dresden and the University of Zagreb.

As an internationally renowned expert in probabilistic potential theory, Prof. Vondraček has been instrumental in developing Zagreb into a center for probabilistic potential theory for jump processes and non-local operators. His scientific importance is reflected in over 70 publications in international journals and more than 1,700 MathSciNet citations.

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Mahmut

Degree: PhD Psychology | Program: Dresden Senior Fellowship | Timeframe: July 1, 2025 – November 2, 2025 | Host Institutions in Germany: Faculty of Medicine, Interdisciplinary Center "Smell & Taste", Dresden University Hospital | Hosts: Prof. Dr. med. Thomas Hummel

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Mahmut is Associate Professor at the School of Psychological Sciences at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. There he is also co-director of the Food, Flavor and Fragrance Lab. He received his doctorate in psychology from Macquarie University in 2007.

At TU Dresden, Prof. Mahmut will investigate the effects of olfactory disorders on hunger and eating behavior. The project combines medical and psychological approaches to understand how the loss of the sense of smell is related to reduced food intake and social isolation. In addition to his research, he will offer courses on the psychological effects of olfactory disorders and participate in the Summer School of the Center for Smell and Taste at TU Dresden. The collaboration is to be further expanded through joint research projects, student exchanges and the establishment of workshops on olfactory research in Sydney.

Prof. Mahmut's research focuses on the diverse functions of the human sense of smell in everyday life. Among other things, he investigates the role of odors in romantic relationships and the link between olfactory perception and personality traits, particularly with regard to empathy. He also focuses on the social and psychological consequences of olfactory disorders, with particular emphasis on the effects on hunger, eating behavior and social isolation. Prof. Mahmut has already published over 50 peer-reviewed publications in renowned journals such as Developmental Psychology, Appetite and Chemical Senses. Since his first visit to TU Dresden in 2017 and a six-month stay as a Dresden Junior Fellow in 2019, there has been a close research collaboration with TU Dresden, which has already resulted in twelve joint publications.

Prof. Dr. Ipsita Mandal

Degree: PhD Physics| Program: Dresden Senior Fellowship | Timeframe: Juni 30th 2025 – August 12th 2025 & Mai 16th 2026 – August 12th 2026 | Host Institution in Germany: Faculty of Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics | Host: Prof. Dr. Carsten Timm

Prof. Dr. Ipsita Mandal is an internationally renowned expert in theoretical solid state physics. After receiving her doctorate from the Harish-Chandra Research Institute in 2011, she conducted research at several prestigious institutions, including the University of California Los Angeles, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Basel, IIT Kharagpur, Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI-PKS) and Cornell University. In 2019, she was appointed as a professor at the University of Stavanger (Norway). She moved to the Polish Academy of Sciences in 2020, receiving the Polish Prime Minister's Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement in 2022 based on her Polish habilitation. Since 2023, she has worked at the Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence (India), where she was awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie FRIAS COFUND Fellowship at W3 professorial level in the same year. According to Stanford/Elsevier, Prof. Mandal was among the top 2% most cited scientists in 2024.

Her research focuses on strongly correlated quantum materials in theoretical solid state physics, which fits in perfectly with the scientific profile in Dresden. She is also a specialist in high-energy physics and quantum field theory. This combination of disciplines has not yet been represented at professorial level in Dresden, implying a broad spectrum of methods.

The aim of her visit is to explore potential future collaborations with various research groups in Dresden, including the Institute of Theoretical Physics and the Institute for Solid State and Materials Physics at TU Dresden, the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW), and the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI-PKS). Common interests include the theory of strongly correlated and topological solids, and the theory of non-Hermitian systems. Further points of contact exist in experimental physics and chemistry.

Prof. Mandal and Prof. Dr. Carsten Timm (Chair of Condensed Matter Theory at TU Dresden) are planning a long-term collaboration on the topic of transport in semimetals. Joint scientific publications and the supervision of doctoral theses will be included in this cooperation. Prof. Mandal will also supervise students preparing their final theses. A block lecture on semimetals and transport is also planned during the lecture-free period.

Prof. Dr. Amy Russell

Degree: PhD Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology| Program: Dresden Senior Fellowship | Timeframe: June 1, 2025 – Juli 31, 2025 | Host Institution in Germany: Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science, Chair of Ancient History | Host: Prof. Dr. Christoph Lundgreen

Prof. Dr. Amy Russell received her PhD in Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology from the University of California at Berkeley in 2011. Since 2021 she has been Associate Professor of Classics and Director of the Program in Early Cultures at Brown University.

During her stay as part of the Dresden Senior Fellowship, Prof. Russell will work on various research projects dealing with the central role of the people in the public political space of the Roman Republic. The focus will be on her main project “POPVLVSQVE” and the further development of her research on spatial theory in Roman history. She will also present the results of her project “The Roman Republic between Anglophone and German Scholarship” to a wider audience. Prof. Russell will also give a public lecture on the relationship between German-speaking and Anglophone research, offer a master class on the “Populus Romanus” and take part in the conference “Politics of Space”.

As a historian for Ancient Roman politics and culture, Prof. Russell specializes in architecture, urbanism and spatial research. Her first book “The Politics of Public Space in Republican Rome” was awarded the C. J. Goodwin Award of Merit by the Society for Classical Studies in 2017. In 2018 she received the Philip Leverhulme Prize for her outstanding achievements. She is a founding member and former chair of the Women's Classical Committee UK.

Dr. V. T. Thushara

Degree: PhD Civil Engineering | Program: Dresden Junior Fellowship | Timeframe: May 5, 2025 – September 5, 2025 | Host Institution in Germany: Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Urban and Pavement Engineering | Host: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Zeißler

Dr. V. T. Thushara received her PhD in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in 2021 and has since been working as an Assistant Professor at the College of Engineering Trivandrum in Kerala, India.

During her stay as part of the Dresden Junior Fellowship, Dr. Thushara will work on the development of high-performance asphalt mixtures for low temperatures, with a focus on optimizing the particle size distribution. In particular, she will investigate the interactions between aggregates and develop test protocols for mechanical characterization.

Dr. Thushara's work will be closely linked to several sub-projects of the CRC/TRR 339 “Digital twin of the road system – Physical-informational representation of the future road system” and will contribute to the internationalization of the Collaborative Research Centre. Her expertise in the mechanical characterization of asphalt mixtures and her innovative approach to optimizing particle size distribution will make important contributions to the development of future-oriented road construction technologies.

Dr. Thushara's research focuses on the optimal design of the aggregate structure in asphalt mixtures to improve their resistance to thermal loads. She was awarded the Best Paper Award at the 2023 IMPACTS conference for her research. Dr. Thushara is a reviewer for various international conferences and journals such as the International Journal for Pavement Engineering and is currently leading research projects on the development of methodologies for full depth reclamation projects and the evaluation of thin bituminous road pavements.

Prof. Dr. Jan Plass

Degree: PhD Educational Technology | Program: Dresden Senior Fellowship | Timeframe: 25. - 27. September 2024, 12. - 14. March 2025, 9. - 18. April 2025, 2. – 4. June 2025, 7. - 11. July 2025 | Host Institution in Germany: Faculty of Psychology, Chair of Psychology of Learning and Instruction| Host: Prof. Dr. Susanne Narciss

Prof. Dr. Jan Plass holds the Paulette Goddard Chair in Digital Media and Learning Sciences at New York University and is the founding director of CREATE, the Consortium for Research and Evaluation of Advanced Technologies in Education at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. He received his PhD in Educational Technology from the University of Erfurt in 1994.

The fellowship stay of Prof. Plass serves the joint research on the development of advanced learning technologies. During his stay, Prof. Plass, Prof. Narciss and members of the Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI) will work on immersive formative feedback strategies for augmented reality and virtual reality learning environments, among other things. In addition, Prof. Plass, together with Prof. Köhler from the Center for Open Digital Innovation and Participation (CODIP), will analyze the benefits and conditions of learning scenarios with modern learning technologies. The overarching goal of Prof. Plass' visits is to establish research collaborations with Prof. Narciss and Prof. Köhler in the areas of design and research of innovative advanced learning technologies. These research collaborations will be the first steps towards establishing an institutional partnership between TU Dresden and New York City University in the field of innovative learning sciences. In addition, Prof. Plass will be involved in teaching at the postgraduate level.

Prof. Plass draws on a broad range of disciplines, including cognitive science, learning science, computer science, and design, to conceptualize, implement, and investigate new and more effective ways of learning with digital technologies. He is the author of over 120 journal articles, chapters, and conference proceedings, has given more than 200 presentations, and is the lead editor of Cognitive Load Theory and the Handbook of Game-based Learning.

Dr. Ali Sanati

Degree: PhD Reservoir Engineering | Program: Dresden Junior Fellowship | Timeframe: August 28, 2024 – October 30, 2024 & June 25, 2025 – August 25, 2025 | Host Institution in Germany: Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Chair of Inorganic Molecular Chemistry | Host: Prof. Dr. Jan J. Weigand

Dr. Ali Sanati is currently Assistant Professor of Petroleum Engineering at Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran. He received his PhD in Reservoir Engineering from Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran in 2022.

During the Fellowship stay, the existing cooperation with Dr. Sanati in research on sustainable feedstocks for the petroleum industry will be deepened. Deep eutectic solvents are being investigated as an alternative to conventional chemical additives. These can be tailored to the respective application so that they work more efficiently and are biodegradable. In addition to his research activities, Dr. Sanati is also involved in teaching. Furthermore, a joint DFG proposal will be completed during the fellowship stay.

Dr. Sanati has many years of experience as a university lecturer and an extensive list of publications. He was a visiting researcher at TU Dresden twice during his doctorate. This resulted in joint publications, which will now be built upon.

Prof. Dr. Rodrigo Lozano

Degree: PhD Sustainability Economics | Program: Dresden Senior Fellowship | Timeframe: September 5, 2024 – October 10, 2024 & May 1, 2025 – May 31, 2025 | Host Institution in Germany: Faculty of Business and Economics, Chair of Business Administration, esp. Environmental Management | Host: Prof. Dr. Remmer Sassen

Prof. Dr. Lozano is currently a Visiting Professor at the Central University of Technology, Bloemfontein, South Africa, and guest lecturer at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna, Austria. He holds a PhD in Sustainability Economics from Cardiff University Business School, Cardiff University, UK.

During Prof. Dr. Lozano's Felowship stay, a joint research proposal on the analysis of sustainability skills development from a student perspective is planned in cooperation with Prof. Sassen. In addition, Prof. Lozano will be involved in teaching by offering guest lectures, workshops for doctoral students and a research colloquium.

Prof. Lozano has been committed to sustainability in organizations for over twenty years. In doing so, he has contributed to sustainability research in companies, higher education institutions, public sector organizations and civil society organizations. To date, Prof. Dr. Lozano has published more than 95 peer-reviewed papers, one book on sustainable organizations as sole author and three books as co-author. He has been listed among the top 0.2% of the best researchers in the world (Stanford/Elsevier) for four consecutive years. In addition to his work as a professor, Prof. Lozano is a member of the editorial boards of about 10 journals and has reviewed more than 40 journals.

Prof. Dr. Douglas Cairns

Degree: PhD Classical Philology | Program: Dresden Senior Fellowship | Timeframe: May 1, 2024 – June 30, 2024 & April 1, 2025 – June 30, 2025 | Host Institution 1 in Germany: Faculty of Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies, Institute of Classical Philology | Host 1: Jun.-Prof. Dr. Mario Baumann | Host Institution 2: Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science, Institute of History | Host 2: Prof. Dr. Christoph Lundgren

Prof. Dr. Douglas is Cairns Professor of Classics in the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh. He completed his PhD in Classics at the University of Glasgow in 1987.

Prof. Cairns will complete his fellowship in both the Department of Classics and the Department of History. The theme of emotions will act as an overarching bracket linking all sub-projects. The fellowship includes workshop and discussion formats for students, doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers as well as joint publication activities.

Prof. Cairns' stay will deepen existing collaborations. He is the recipient of the Anneliese Maier Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and has already worked closely with the Department of Classical Studies at TU Dresden on a wide range of research activities during the associated funding period from 2018-2024. Now the basis for joint project proposals is to be laid. The topic of emotions fits perfectly with the main areas of work of Prof. Lundgren and Prof. Baumann.

Prof. Cairns is a leading international expert on the role of emotions in various social and political contexts in the field of ancient studies. He has taught and researched at international universities, including the University of Otago, New Zealand and the University of St Andrews, UK, before being appointed Professor of Classics at the University of Edinburgh in 2004. Prof. Cairns has received numerous academic awards, including research fellowships from the Humboldt Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust. He is President of the Classical Association of Scotland.

Dr. Mariana Erasmus

Degree: PhD Biochemistry | Program: Dresden Senior Fellowship | Timeframe: April 23, 2025 – May 28, 2025 | Host Institutions in Germany: Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology | Hosts: Dr. Dirk Jungmann

Dr. Mariana Erasmus received her PhD in Biochemistry in 2015. Since January 2021, she has been the Vice Director of the Centre for Mineral Biogeochemistry (CMBG) at the University of the Free State in South Africa and became the Director of the CMBG in 2025. She also manages the Mineral Node of the Biogeochemistry Research Infrastructure Platform (BIOGRIP). BIOGRIP is a South African research network that drives discovery into the biological, geological, chemical and physical processes that shape environments over time and space. From 2017 to 2020, she led the Screening Applications and Exploring Novelty in Specialized Environments (SAENSE) platform, a collaboration between the University of the Free State and the Technology Innovation Agency (an agency for the South African Department of Science, Technology and Innovation), which is dedicated to the development and commercialization of environmental technologies.

At TU Dresden, Dr. Erasmus will work on the analysis of antibiotic resistance in aquatic samples. The focus is on the development of surveillance methods for low- and middle-income countries. She will use state-of-the-art molecular techniques and bioinformatic tools to investigate the spread and development of antibiotic resistance genes in water samples. She will collaborate with research groups at TU Dresden on topics such as climate change and antibiotic resistance, anthropogenic trace substances in ecosystems and sustainable resource management.

The long-term plan is to develop joint EU or BMBF-funded research projects and intensify scientific exchange between the two universities. The South African expertise in dealing with the challenges of climate change is to be used for the development of sustainable solutions in Europe.

Dr. Erasmus' research focus at the CMBG is to advance environmental forensics techniques for the detection and mitigation of environmental contamination, ensuring accountability, and protecting ecosystems for long-term health. And to promote and apply nature-based solutions for remediating and mitigating environmental impacts, endorsing sustainable practices that protect and regenerate the environment.

Dr. Rona Graham

Degree: PhD Medicine | Program: Dresden Senior Fellowship | Timeframe: March10, 2025 – May 1, 2025 | Host Institution in Germany: Faculty of Medicine, Clinic and Polyclinic for Ear, Nose and Throat Medicine | Host: Prof. Dr. med. Thomas Hummel

Prof. Dr. Rona Graham received her PhD in Medical Genetics from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia in 2006. Since 2012, she has been an Associate Professor at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and a member of the Institute Research Center on Aging.

As part of the Dresden Senior Fellowship, Prof. Graham will contribute her expertise in the research of olfactory systems in neurodegenerative diseases. A particular focus will be on the further development of her “Cognitive Associated Diagnostic Odors” signature and the investigation of olfactory bulb volume as a possible marker for mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

The collaboration aims to achieve a sustainable transfer of knowledge and technology between the two universities. In the short term, a student exchange is to be established, and joint research data generated for a publication on early MCI markers. In the long term, Prof. Graham is aiming for a permanent partnership with joint funding applications in Canada and Europe.

Prof. Graham has established herself as an expert in neurodegenerative diseases, with a research focus on Huntington's, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Her research is characterized by a multidisciplinary approach that combines cellular, genetic and biochemical techniques with the correlation of behavioral deficits and neuropathology through MRI and stereology. As a member of professional societies such as the Society for Neuroscience and the Consortium pour l'Identification précoce de la Maladie d'Alzheimer - Québec, she has a strong international network.

Dr. Dmitry Payson

Degree: PhD Technology & Economics | Program: Dresden Senior Fellowship | Timeframe: March 1, 2025 – August 31, 2025 | Host Institutions in Germany: Faculty of Business and Economics, Chair of Business Administration & Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Chair of Space Systems | Hosts: Prof. Dr. Lars Hornuf & Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Martin Tajmar

Dr. Dmitry Payson received his PhD from the Aerospace School of the Moscow Aviation Institute in 2003 with a thesis on spacecraft design considering economic factors. In 2011, he obtained another PhD in Economics at the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences with a dissertation on institutions and institutional design in spaceflight. Since March 2023, he has been working as a researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

During his stay as part of the Dresden Senior Fellowship, Dr. Payson will work on the development of an economic model of spaceflight that reconciles the basic principles of goods economics with the different governance structures of different countries. His expertise will be incorporated into the “Space Economics” course initiated by Prof. Dr. Lars Hornuf, which is to be expanded into an international degree course in the medium term along the lines of comparable programs. The collaboration is also aimed at the possible establishment of an ESA Business Incubation Center for the region of eastern Germany and will strengthen interdisciplinary cooperation between the fields of economics and aerospace engineering at TU Dresden.

Dr. Payson's research interests range from the institutional design of space activities to the political economy of the space industry and the theory of public goods in basic research. With over 25 years of experience in research, teaching and management in the field of space policy, economics and innovation, he has had an impressive career. This includes positions such as Director of the Roscosmos Research Center (2017-2018) and Deputy Director of the Skolkovo Space Cluster, an institution promoting start-ups and private initiatives.

Prof. Dr. Anthony Guiseppi-Elie

Degree: Sc.D. Materials Science and Engineering | Program: Dresden Senior Fellowship | Timeframe: March 1, 2025 – May 31, 2025 | Host Institution in Germany: Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Institute of Materials Science| Host: Prof. Dr. Gianaurelio Cuniberti

Prof. Dr. Anthony Guiseppi-Elie is President and Senior Fellow at the American International Institute of Medical Sciences, Engineering, and Innovation, South Carolina, USA. He received his doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States, in 1983.

At TU Dresden, Prof. Guiseppi-Elie will investigate electrically conductive hydrogels in bioanalytical microdevices as part of a research collaboration. His research will focus on the development of patient-centered, bio-integrated electronic platforms that harness electrically conductive hydrogels and carbonaceous nanomaterials for precision medicine. To this end, he uses various molecular and structural elements for the design of biosensor platforms.

Prof. Guiseppi-Elie will give several lectures in electrobiology, bioelectricity and bioelectronics during the Fellowship period. In addition, through his contact with Dr. Hana Lísalová from the Biointerfaces Laboratory of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, he will initiate collaboration between the research groups. In addition, Prof. Guiseppi-Elie is planning to organize a conference on the topic of “Convergence”, which will take place in May 2025.

Prof. Guiseppi-Elie is known for his transdisciplinary work spanning materials chemistry, electronic materials, polymer science, physiology, microlithography, microelectronics and biomedical instrumentation. He worked in industry for 15 years before being appointed professor in 1998. He has subsequently established a remarkable research, innovation and commercialization program for responsive electrically conducting hydrogels and carbonaceous nanomaterials for biomedical diagnostics. In 1995, Prof. Guiseppi-Elie was the first to introduce electrically conductive hydrogels and in 2002 the first to demonstrate direct electron transfer between oxidoreductase enzymes and electrodes. Furthermore, Prof. Guiseppi-Elie is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering and the Royal Society of Medicine, among others.

Prof. Dr. Mia Son

Degree: PhD Epidemiology | Program: Dresden Senior Fellowship | Timeframe: February 27, 2025 – August 30, 2025 | Host Institution in Germany: Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science, Institute of Sociology | Host: Prof. Dr. Antonia Kupfer

Prof. Dr. Mia Son is a Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Kangwon National University, Gangwon, South Korea. She received her doctorate in Epidemiology from the University of London, UK, in 2001.

During her stay at TU Dresden, Prof. Son will conduct a study on the origin of gender inequalities and the mechanism of social inequalities from the perspective of feminism. Specifically, she will compare and analyze working conditions (e.g. work intensity, wages, working hours, unpaid work) and the health status of healthcare and nursing staff in Germany and South Korea. The aim of this study is to identify the current phenomena of health inequality, to explore the mechanisms of social inequality and to contribute to identifying the causes of gender inequality. The results will be published and presented at several international conferences. Prof. Son is also involved in teaching by giving lectures and participating in colloquia to provide TU Dresden students with expertise from the Department of Health Sociology.

Prof. Son has researched the health of workers in many workplaces in South Korea, such as the automotive and healthcare industries. Furthermore, she is a member of the board of directors of the Korean Society of Preventive Medicine and the Korean Society of Epidemiology.

Prof. Dr. Ralph Buehler

Degree: PhD Planning and Public Policy | Program: Dresden Senior Fellowship | Timeframe: January 20, 2025 – May 31, 2025 | Host Institution in Germany: "Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, Institute of Transport Planning and Road Traffic | Host: Prof. Dr. Regine Gerike

Prof. Ralph Buehler is Professor of Urban Affairs and Planning at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA. He received his PhD in 2008 from Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA.

During his stay at TU Dresden, he will be conducting a comparative study at the Institute of Transportation Planning and Road Traffic. The aim of the project is to compare the traffic behavior of children and young people in Germany and the US over a period of around 20 years. The analysis, which is based on existing data, aims to examine similarities and differences in mobility behavior and to identify trends over time. The study is intended to support the identification of possible measures and target groups that will help children and young people to walk, cycle and use public transport more often and more safely.

Prof. Buehler has a background in transport and regional planning. He researches and teaches primarily on the question of how personal, spatial and traffic contexts affect mobility behavior and, in particular, cycling and walking. He uses the knowledge gained to develop recommendations for the design of cities that promote multimodal mobility, ensure accessibility for all groups of people and of transport as well as a high quality of life while protecting the environment and conserving resources. Prof. Buehler publishes in leading journals of the field. His contributions and research have been recognized with numerous awards, including the recent Alumni Award for Research Excellence 2023 from the Virginia Tech Alumni Association.