Head of the Research Group

• Changes in settlement structures in urban regions (reurbanisation/suburbanisation/ Gentrification) 
• Sociology of housing
• Families in the city
• City and gender
• Changes in the relationship between city and nature (especially water policy and culture) 
• New landscapes in old industrial regions

seit 2007: Professorin am Fachgebiet Stadt- und Regionalsoziologie

2002 - 2007: Juniorprofessorin für Stadtsoziologie unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des internationalen Vergleichs am Institut für Sozialwissenschaften an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

2002 - 2007: Zweitmitgliedschaft im Zentrum für Transdisziplinäre Geschlechterforschung an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

2003: Promotion zur Dr. phil an der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg

bis 2002: Lehrtätigkeit am Institut für Soziologie der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg und an der Staatswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Erfurt

seit 2000: Teilnehmerin an der Internationalen Frauenuniversität „Technology and Culture“ (ifu), Project Area „City“, Universität Kassel

1997 - 1999: Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin an der Professur "Soziologie und Sozialgeschichte der Stadt" an der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar und im Forschungsprojekt "Arena in der Arena - Weimar Kulturstadt Europas 1999" (AidA)

1994 - 1997: Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am Lehrstuhl "Globalisierung und europäische Kultur" am Institut für Soziologie der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg

1987 - 1994: Studium der Soziologie und Wissenschaftlichen Politik an der Universität Freiburg

1990/91: Auslandsjahr in Paris

• Research Committee 21 (Sociology of Urban and Regional Development) in der International Sociological Association
• German Society for Sociology (DGS) 
• Section  Urban and Regional Sociology in the German Society for Sociology
• Section  Sociology of Politics in the German Society for Sociology
• Society for Urban History and Urbanization Research (GSU) 
• Specialist Society Gender Studies  / Gender Studies Association e. V.
• Network of Women in Urban and Regional Research and Planning
• Urban and Regional Science Research Network Ruhr (SURF) 
• ProFiL – Alumnae

since 2016:  Member of the steering group for the master plan “Communal Security” of the City of Dortmund

since 2015:  Scientific advisor of the exhibition project “”Heimat im Wandel -  Metropole Ruhr 1972/2012 – Sociology in Images” (funded by the Mercator and Brost Foundation) 

since 2014:  Scientific advisor of the research project “Rethinking Urban Nature”, University of Cambridge, Principal Investigator:  Prof. Matthew Gandy (funded by the European Research Council) 

since 2014:  Member of the Board of the Social Research Centre (Central Scientific Institution of TU Dortmund) 

2013 -  2015:  Member of the Board of Trustees of the International Building Exhibition (IBA)   Heidelberg “City of Knowledge”

2012:  Appointment to the W3 professorship “Urban and Regional Sociology” at the University of Kassel (rejected) 

since 2012:  Scientific Advisory Board of the Institute for Regional and Urban Development Research (ILS)   Dortmund

since 2012:  Scientific advisory board of the journal sub\urban (funded by the DFG, with double-blind peer review) 

2010 -  2017:  Scientific Advisory Board of the Academy for Spatial Research and Planning (ARL), Vice Chairmen of the Advisory Board in 2016 and 2017

2009 -  2014:  Scientific Advisor to the Urban Laboratory, University College London     

since 2008: Co-editor of the book series “Stadt, Raum und Gesellschaft” (Stadt, Raum und Gesellschaft) at VS-Verlag, spokeswoman of the publishing group

since 2007:  Professor (W2) for Urban and Regional Sociology at the Department of Spatial Planning at the TU Dortmund University

2007  - 2010:  Scientific Advisory Board of the Research Training Group  “The Future of the European City – Forms and Consequences of New Urban Governance” (funded by the Heinrich Böll Foundation) 

2005  - 2010:  Scientific advisory board of the Transatlantic Research Training Group Berlin  - New York: History and Culture of Metropolitan Cities in the 20th Century (funded by the German Research Foundation) 

since 2005:  Founding member (and member of the Spokesperson Group until 12/2006) of the Georg-Simmel-Centre for Metropolitan Research at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

2003 – 2007:  Scientific advisor of the Research and Training Network Urban Europe (RTN UrbEurope): Urban Europe Between Identity and Change (funded by the European Union) 

2004  - 2006:  Head of the “Network of Young European Urban Policy and URBAN-Researchers”

2005  - 2006:  Head of the EU (ERDF) funded third-party project “The European URBAN Experience” (as Lead Partner) 

2003 – 2006: Management, coordination and organisation of the research cooperation between the departments of urban sociology and urban geography at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Universiteit van Amsterdam (funded by the partnership between the two universities) 

2002  -  2007:  Professor   (W1) for urban sociology with special reference to the international comparison at the Institute of Social Sciences of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin;  Second membership of the Center for Transdisciplinary Gender Research

2001 and 2002:  Lecturer at the Institute of Sociology of the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg and at the Department of Political Science of the University of Erfurt

2000:  Participant at the International Women’s University “Technology and Culture” (ifu), Project Area “City” (Project of Expo 2000), University of Kassel

1999:  Lecturer in the “International Integrated Architectural Studies” (IIAS) of the Department of Architecture of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, best teaching evaluation by students

1997 -  1999:  Research assistant at the Chair “Sociology and Social History of the City” of Prof. Dr. Dieter Hassenpflug at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
Research assistant in the research project “Arena in der Arena – Weimar European City of Culture 1999” (AidA) 

1994 -  1997: Research assistant at the chair “Globalization and European Culture” of Prof. Dr. Hermann Schwengel at the Institute of Sociology of the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg