BIGSSS has a new Dean! › view all

As of the December 1st, 2021, BIGSSS has a new academic director: Sociologist Patrick Sachweh takes over from his predecessor Olaf Groh-Samberg, who, after more than 5 years in the service of the Graduate School, will devote himself to other tasks. BIGSSS also had to say goodbye to long-time Vice Dean Sonja Drobniĉ. The Vice Dean position at Jacobs University, Adalbert Wilhelm, was extended by the presidents of the two universities for another two years. On behalf of all staff members and the entire Graduate School, we would like to take this opportunity to warmly welcome the new Dean and at the same time sincerely thank his two predecessors.

Patrick Sachweh is not a newcomer to BIGSSS: In 2009, he received his PhD degree with us. After holding positions at the MPIfG in Cologne, the Federal Institute for Population Research in Wiesbaden, and the University of Frankfurt, he was appointed to the Professorship of Comparative Social Research in Bremen in 2019. Patrick Sachweh, whose work focuses on social inequality, comparative political sociology of the welfare state and economic sociology, is a member of the department "Inequality Dynamics in the Welfare State" at SOCIUM. 

In an opening statement, the new Dean points out the tasks that await him in the coming years: "As all of you know, BIGSSS is currently in a phase of reorientation from being an institute of the German Excellence Initiative to offering tailored support for early career researchers from large-scale collaborative research centers. For BIGSSS as an institution, this means that it will have to accomodate a greater diversity in fellows' employment conditions, thematic orientations, and other obligations. This is both a challenge and an opportunity to follow the mission BIGSSS continutes to stand for, while further strengthening the links to the vibrant Bremen social science research landscape. Together with the staff team and with my faculty colleagues, we will strive to make the best concepts and practices in structured education a permanent quality for doctoral researchers in Bremen."

We wish him only the best on this way!