Promotion of Young Researchers

At the IRS, the promotion of young researchers is a cross-departmental objective, which is closely connected to the research programme and the cooperation with universities. Young researchers comprise of doctoral students aiming for their PhD and of post-doctoral scientists seeking to be appealabe for professorship.

Central pillars of the structured promotion of doctoral students are the "IRS doctoral colloquium" as well as the "International PhD Seminars". The Seminars regularly provide a space where the dissertations projects are discussed with senior scientists and where concepts and methods of research on society and space are imparted.

Furthermore, the IRS supports young researches to deepen their scientific networks during research secondments at other institutions and lectures on international conferences. It also promotes the attendance of scientific training and education courses and summer schools.

The IRS is currently conducting to research projects with a special focus on the qualification of young researchers. Furthermore, the doctoral and post-doctoral scientists conduct their very own qualification projects, which are very closely related to the lead project or third-party funded research of their department.

Global construction companies impact our futures. Beyond the edifices and infrastructures they construct, they also fundamentally influence governmental development aid policies, or dislocate people to build a new dam, for example. Yet the role of these major global players and their persistent presence in different world regions has barely been reflected upon. Our project investigates how major German construction companies conquered markets and spaces, thereby cementing their presence in different regions of the Global South, and it will trace the footprints left behind, long after the dust of the construction sites settled. It draws on the observation that it is impossible to fully understand the complexity of the built environment in these regions without acknowledging and analysing the role of construction companies such as HOCHTIEF AG or Bilfinger Berger as actors, stakeholders, transnational legal entities and major driving forces in the processes of globalised construction business. more

Completed Qualification Projects (Selection)