GGG’s new PhD students‘ representation

In June our PhD student members elected their PhD students‘ representations. The PhD students‘ representative plays an important role as the contact person for PhD students of social sciences and gives them a voice in the graduate school, the university and in the general public. In this newsletter we introduce your newly elected PhD students‘ representatives Ceren Kasim and Julia Zilles.

Ceren Kasim

Since July 2017 I have been the new GGG PhD students‘ representative. I am writing my PhD thesis at the Faculty of Law, at the Department for Labor Law, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Krause. In my dissertation I explore the relation between the law on protection against dismissal and the anti-discrimination law. I was a visiting scholar at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. Prior to my doctorate I graduated with a master’s degree from Humboldt University Berlin and had worked as lawyer.

During my term of office I want to advocate for the improvement of networking opportunities for doctoral students, I would like to build them up, foster and strengthen them.

Furthermore I am interested in the cross-sectional issues of internationalization, diversity, equal opportunities and equal treatment, which I want to deal with in practical projects – also in cooperation and exchange with other doctoral students and the staff at the GGG office. My further goals are the improvement of interdisciplinary networking between doctoral students, the continuation of family- and child-friendly offers for doctoral students with children – not least because I am mother of two children and know very well how hard it is to coordinate the various duties and obligations. As a last point I want to take part in the decisions on grants and stipends and support more offers for PhD student mobility.

Furthermore, from time to time I will be present at the InDiGU Network Café on Wednesdays 12 a.m. This might be a great opportunity for you to get in touch with me and I am looking forward to meeting many of you there! Precise dates will be posted on GGG’s website.

Please feel free to contact me:

Ceren Kasim
Juristische Fakultät
Institut für Arbeitsrecht
Platz der Göttinger Sieben 6, 37073 Göttingen
cerenkasim@gmail.com

Julia Zilles

I was elected vice GGG PhD students‘ representative in June 2017. Since September 2014 I have been working at the Göttingen Institute for Democracy Research. Currently I am PhD students’ representative at the Faculty of Social Sciences and at the same time, I am equal opportunities officer at the Institute for Democracy Research.

I’m very interested in your input concerning general issues and problems of your PhD. Please don’t hesitate to contact me. Then, I will be able to represent your interests well within the faculty and the GGG.

I studied politics, German philology and philosophy at the University of Koblenz and Landau. I continuously had worked as student assistant and tutor at the Institute for Social Sciences and as vacation substitute at the office of the vice-chancellor, which provided me with valuable experience in higher education policies.

During my studies I have already been actively involved in higher education policies, for example as student representative in the faculty council and senate, as student council (AStA) expert for internal university policy and as deputy at the student parliament. Based on the “Bildungsstreik” (‘education strike’) I stood up for reducing bureaucracy in B.A./M.A. studies and improved sustainable financing of higher education institutions. In this context I became aware of how much one can achieve and improve with proper communication between all involved parties. As PhD students’ representative I would like to become the communicative link between the heterogeneous group of PhD students, all with their specific interests, and the various boards and committees (faculty council, GGG executive board etc.).

In addition, I would like to focus on equal opportunities policy, especially regarding parents. I myself am a mother of two children and thus, as PhD students’ representative, I want to keep improving the general conditions for PhD students with children both within GGG and in the faculties.

Please feel free to contact me:

Julia Zilles
Sozialwissenschaftliche Fakultät
Institut für Demokratieforschung
Weender Landstraße 14, 37073 Göttingen
julia.zilles@demokratie-goettingen.de