Staff profile

In my role as DAAD-Lektorin (DAAD lecturer) in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at Durham, I teach on most undergraduate German language modules and represent the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) in the North-East (together with the DAAD-Lektorin at Newcastle University). This includes advising students and researchers on study, research, and scholarship opportunities in Germany and offering extracurricular activities for students. I invite artists from Germany and plan, organise, and co-ordinate projects, events, and workshops for staff and students. 

I am available for information sessions on studying and researching in Germany and possible funding. I am happy to assist students with DAAD scholarship applications. 

What I value and live in my work: Learning something new, learning from each other and with each other through projects, through shared and different experiences, through collaboration and curiosity. Providing mutual support, creating something together, starting something new, bringing people together. 

In 2023, I founded Durham University’s new International Staff Network, of which I am one of the four co-chairs. I initiated and coordinated the Making Music –Connecting Communities project (2023-2024) in collaboration with University College, where I am also a College Mentor.  

I am looking forward to planning new projects and am excited for more opportunities to network, share, support, and learn – beyond and across disciplines, departments, and borders. 

Before coming to Durham in 2021, I collected data for my doctoral research on (forced) migration narratives, belonging and multi(lingual) identities in Germany. I received an MA in Germanic Languages and Literatures and an Interdisciplinary Specialization in Second Language Studies from The Ohio State University, where I also taught German to undergraduates. I have a second MA in German as a Foreign Language (Cultural Education) from the Free University Berlin and a Bachelor in European Cultures (German) from the University of Luxemburg. I also hold an undergraduate equivalent qualification as Certified Business Economist (Human Relations) from the Robert-Schuman-Berufskolleg (Business School) in Dortmund, Germany.   

My work and professional experience are very diverse, including positions as administrative associate (organisation), test developer for German, and test (development) coordinator at different institutions: Thalia (Germany), Luxembourg Centre for Educational Testing (University of Luxemburg), Institute for School Quality (Berlin). In addition to my teaching at Ohio State, I taught courses on German language and society for migrants in Germany and at the University of Malaya.