Nine International Senior Fellows Start Collaborations with UA Ruhr Researchers

The established scholars who have started their Senior Fellowships at the College in March 2026 possess outstanding research expertise in an impressive range of fields within the social sciences and the humanities, covering cultural anthropology, migration studies, sociology of education, political science and governance, health policy, law and literary studies, history of philosophy, criminology, and historical theology. The home institutions of the visiting researchers are equally diverse, located in Armenia, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, South Africa, the UK, and the USA. 

On 10 March 2026, the group of Senior Fellows and six tandem partners met at the Welcome Day in Essen where the College’s administration and staff warmly received them. The scholars outlined the research activities planned for their six-month stays, including various academic events they will be co-organising with their tandem partners. A weekly colloquium provides the opportunity for Senior Fellows and researchers at the College to discuss their current research projects across disciplines.

Sreeparna Chattopadhyay is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the Manipal Law School (India). Her research interests include gendered violence in India, intersectional inequities in health systems, and reproduction. In a tandem project with Elena Beregow (College for Social Sciences and Humanities and TU Dortmund University), she will investigate knowledge production and narratives related to climate change, with an emphasis on the impact of extreme heat in India and Germany.

Daniel Chigudu is Professor of Political Science and Governance at the University of South Africa (UNISA). He specialises in governance, peace and conflict studies, social protection, gender equality, and development evaluation, with a particular focus on African contexts. With his tandem partner Martina Brandt (TU Dortmund University), he will work on a project that examines how changing social protection policies can facilitate healthy ageing across African social systems.

Detailed information about the Senior Fellows and their projects is available on the College’s website.