Doctoral Researchers

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

• Contributed to the establishment of a new M.A. in Governance and Human Rights at Humboldt-Viadrina School of Governance as member of the Curriculum Design Workshop

• Published article on proliferation of non-discrimination in diritti umani – Peace Human Rights journal 9.3 (2011), University of Padua

• Shared successful strategies for tackling homophobia in education institutions on invitation by UNESCO at expert meetings in Rio de Janeiro, presented findings as panel member in Paris

• Advised UK Department for Education on anti-bullying policies and strategies to ensure homophobic bullying would tackled more effectively

ACADEMIC EDUCATION

2013 - ongoing

German Research Foundation PhD Fellow, Wicked Problems, Contested Administrations (WIPCAD) Research and Training Centre, University of Potsdam, Germany

Thesis: The Role of the EU in Proliferating Non-Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation in Aid-Recipient Countries.

2007 – 2008

European M.A. of Human Rights and Democratisation (E.MA), European Inter-University Centre (EIUC) Venice, Italy; Netherlands Centre for Human Rights (SIM) University of Utrecht, The Netherlands

Thesis: Proliferation of Non-Discrimination – Problems and Possibilities. A Study of Non-Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation in Law and Private Sector Policies and Practices, grade: 9.5/10, supervisor: Prof. Jenny Goldschmidt, Director of Netherlands Institute for Human Rights

2001 – 2007

M.A. Political Science, Comparative Literature, Art and Media Science, University of Konstanz, Germany; York University, Toronto, Canada (exchange student 2003-4)

Thesis: Politics in Texts – Texts as Politics: A Comparison of Literary Comments on Globalisation in Essays by Arundhati Roy, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Salman Rushdie and Juli Zeh, grade: with distinction, supervisor: Prof. Aleida Assmann, Chair for American and English Literature

1998 – 2000

International Baccalaureate (IB), United World College (UWC) of the Atlantic, Wales, UK

GUEST LECTURES

Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa Feb. 2013
Sexual Minorities Rights M.A. and Summer School

• Lecture on Advocacy and Lobbying for LGBTI Equality

European Inter-University Centre (EIUC), Venice, Italy Nov. 2010, 2011, 2012
European M.A. students in Human Rights and Democratisation

• Lecture on LGBT & Human Rights & Lecture on Project Management

Freie Universität Berlin, Germany Dec. 2008
M.A. students of Human Rights

• Lecture on LGBT & Human Rights

Commonwealth Institute, University of London, UK 2008
M.A. Human Rights seminar

• Lecture on LGBT & Human Rights

United World College of the Atlantic, UK 2008, 2011
International Baccalaureate students

• Sunday night lecture on LGBT & Human Rights and lecture on homophobia in schools at Gender and Sexuality Conference 2011

Political Science Department, University of Konstanz, Germany Sept. 2005-Feb. 2006
M.A. Political Science students

• Tutor for two tutorials with 50+ participants each for Prof. Dr. Gerald Schneider

RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Recruitment and Strategic Development Officer since September 2012
Greater London Fostering, London, UK

Education Officer August 2008 – June 2012
Stonewall Equality (Europe’s largest LGBT Human Rights charity), London, UK

Elected Vice President  and Board Member E.MAlumni Association Since 2010
European Inter-University Centre, Venice, Italy

Project Manager Gender ID Action Week April -Nov. 2006
University Equal Opportunities Office and Women’s Council City of Konstanz, Germany

Assistant to GIZ Nepal Country Director Feb.-March 2006
GIZ Nepal and Risk Management Office DFID, Kathmandu, Nepal

Assistant Teacher for Health Studies and English Sept. 2000-Jan. 2001
Dhulikhel Primary School, Nepal

SCHOLARSHIPS

• German Research Foundation (DFG) PhD Fellow, University of Potsdam, Germany

• Emerging Global Leaders Programme, York University, Toronto, Canada

• Baden-Württemberg Stipendium for two semesters as exchange student at York University, Toronto, Canada

• German National Committee scholarship to attend the United World College of the Atlantic, UK

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Human Rights

non-discrimination

inclusion/exclusion

public administrations’ obligations to promote Human Rights

organisational diversity policy

LGBT equality

gender

globalisation

The EU has committed itself to promoting and protecting human rights of LGBTI persons worldwide. This is puzzling since even among EU member states there is no clear consensus on what constitutes human rights for LGBTI persons. It has led to the accusation of cultural imperialism, in particular from the heads of states from some African countries. It also highlights inconsistencies between external and internal policy, and between expectations of third countries and its own member states.

This thesis examines the processes at play within a public administration dealing with a highly contested and complex issue spanning different levels. The main question this exploratory and explanatory research asks is, how contested institutional change is translated in a complex environment and across levels. The focus is on empirically analyzing the translation process into a different cultural, legal and political, institutional and organizational context. It will first look closely at how LGBTI issues were included into human rights at EU foreign policy level and then secondly how the organizational units of EU Delegations and member state embassies work within a post-colonial context on the ground in Kenya and Uganda.

This interdisciplinary and mainly qualitative study, situated at organisational field level, is based on a grounded theory-inspired methodology, i.e. data driven, and loosely situated within the framework of Sociological New Institutionalism. Combined with a two-step case study design, this enables the close examination of translation processes from Brussels policy level to the sensemaking of the EU Delegation staff and EU Member States Embassy staff.