News in detail

The YERUN Researcher Mobility Awards (YRMA) of the Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN) enable doctoral researchers and postdocs at an early stage of their scientific careers to build and expand their personal, professional and international networks. The University of Konstanz was allocated three of the overall 36 mobility grants, which are awarded annually. Coming from the partner university in Essex (UK), early-career researcher Selin Sivis visits the new Cluster of Excellence “The Politics of Inequality. Perception, Participation and Policies” in Konstanz. The young sociologist is conducting research work that focusses on international migration. She will present and further develop her PhD project in the research team of Cluster spokeswoman Professor Claudia Diehl from the Department of Sociology at the University of Konstanz.

Also associated with the University of Konstanz's inequality cluster, award winner Julia Kensbock from the University of Maastricht is working in a collaborative research project with Professor Florian Kunze from the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Konstanz. This cooperation is the continuation of an international synergy that has already benefited from the Young European Research Network before: In the last round of calls for proposals, a mobility grant enabled Florian Kunze to stay in Maastricht and present his research there.

In addition to the two “incomings”, Fernanda Barrientos Contreras, a researcher at the Department of Linguistics of the University of Konstanz, will visit the Language and Linguistics Department of the University of Essex. With her international career, the linguist represents the international networking concept of the Young European Research Network in an exemplary way: Born in Chile, where she also obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, she came to the University of Konstanz after successfully completing her PhD programme in Manchester. In the spirit of European cooperation between early-career researchers, the network not only promotes exchange among young academics through its research grants, but also aims to use mobility to highlight problems facing society as a whole and scientific responsibility in the European discourse. In the Young European Research Network, the University of Konstanz acts as part of an alliance of 18 young, research-oriented universities in Europe.

All members have been honoured for outstanding achievements in research and teaching (e.g. Times Higher Education Ranking “Top 50 under 50”).

Key facts

• Three mobility grants of the Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN) for the University of Konstanz
• Two early-career researchers, from Essex and Maastricht, receive Research Mobility Awards to work on topics related to the University of Konstanz’s inequality research priority
• Mobility grants to expand the professional, personal and international networks of doctoral researchers and post-docs.
• The University of Konstanz is a partner in the Young European Research Network as one of 18 young universities in Europe that have received awards for excellent research and teaching.