DIES Web Seminar Series | University Leadership in Challenging Times

”Effective Science Communication: Perspectives on Policy, Innovative Approaches and Global Trends“

Tuesday, 29 April 2025, 02:00 – 04:15 (CEST) / 12:00 – 02:15 (UTC)

Effective Science Communication: Perspectives on Policy, Innovative Approaches and Global Trends

This international DIES web seminar will focus on the topic of “Effective Science Communication: Innovative Approaches, Perspectives on Policy and Global Trends”.

It brings together university leaders from diverse regions and will focus on the intersection of science communication, higher education management, and policy, addressing both regional challenges and global trends.

In times of rapid advancements and societal transformation, effective science communication is more important than ever. This webinar will explore how academic leaders can bridge the gap between researchers, policymakers, and the public, ensuring that science remains accessible, impactful, and inclusive.

Key topics include:

The role of higher education institutions in shaping science communication
Key factors for effective and successful management strategies for science communication
Regional experiences in advancing science communication
Experiences and trends in science diplomacy

This interactive session is designed to present inputs from expert speakers, foster dialogue, share good practices from different world regions, and inspire innovative approaches to science communication across diverse contexts.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) organise this series of web seminars in the framework of their joint DIES Programme and under the series title “University Leadership in Challenging Times”

DIES Web Seminar

Please join the DIES Web Seminar by clicking on the button, starting on April 29 2025,
02:00 – 04:15 (CEST), 12:00 – 02:15 (UTC)

Keynote:

Photo: © Katrin Binner

Dr Patrick Honecker

Chief Communication Officer (CCO), Technical University Darmstadt

Dr. Patrick Honecker is Chief Communication Officer and a member of the university extented executive board at the Technical University of Darmstadt. In this role, he is responsible for strategic science communication and brand management. Previously, the trained journalist and science manager built up the communication and marketing division at the University of Cologne and headed a department at the Federal – Federal States Commission for Educational Planning and Research Funding.

Dr. Patrick Honecker is a fellow of Donors’ Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany, a winner of the German Rectors’ Conference’s Higher Education Communication Award and a board member of the Center for Science & Research Management.

Moderation:

Photo: © antonia mathia

Julia Wandt

Expert in science communications and institutional strategy development for academic institutions, co-initiator and co-coordinator of the Scicomm-Support

Julia Wandt is a communications expert specializing in university and science communications and institutional strategy development for academic institutions. Drawing on over twenty years of professional experience at universities (Göttingen, Konstanz, and Freiburg) and consultancy within the German research ecosystem, she partners with academic and scientific institutions to develop and implement their communication strategies and overall strategic concepts. Since 2005, she has guided universities through the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments and its successor program, the Excellence Strategy. This work complements her expertise in crisis communication. Before working as a consultant, Julia was responsible for science communication and strategy for the University of Freiburg’s Rectorate as part of the university management team from February 2021 to October 2024.

In the fall of 2021, Julia and her colleagues from the German national association of communications professionals in higher education collaborated with Science in Dialogue initiative to set in motion the creation of the Scicomm-Support, the contact point for assistance in case of attacks and unobjective conflicts in science communication. Following its implementation in July 2023, Julia has continuously volunteered her time as one of three coordinators for the contact point.

Panel Speaker Dialogue Round:

Photo: © Private

Dr Romina Carrasco Zuffi

Dean Campus de Desarrollo Creativo NODO, Universidad de las Américas, Equador

Romina Carrasco Zuffi is an expert in Participatory Design and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), with over 15 years of experience co-designing technologies for marginalized groups, including older adults, adolescents, and Indigenous communities. She is the Dean of the Faculty of Communication & Audiovisual Arts at Universidad de las Américas (UDLA) in Ecuador, overseeing nine academic programs and founding NODO, Ecuador’s first research-driven creative campus. Romina holds a Ph D in Human-Computer Interaction from the University of Melbourne, where her research focused on how older adults design avatars for self-expression. With 18+ peer-reviewed publications in top-tier HCI venues (ACM CHI, CSCW, DIS), her work explores social VR, avatar identity, and UX-driven science communication. She has led award-winning environmental communication initiatives, including interactive tools and policy-impact campaigns, such as the Galápagos plastic ban in collaboration with WWF.

Photo: © Private

Prof Dr habil Vu Hoang Linh

Rector, VNU University of Science, Vietnam

Vu Hoang Linh is a professor of applied mathematics. He currently serves as the Rector of VNU Hanoi University of Science (VNU-HUS). He earned his PhD from Budapest University of Science in Hungary in 1998 and completed his habilitation at the Technical University of Berlin in Germany in 2014. He joined the Faculty of Mathematics, Mechanics, and Informatics at VNU-HUS in 2000, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2007, and achieved the rank of Full Professor in 2022. Between 2008 and 2014, he held the position of Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics, Mechanics, and Informatics. During this time, he was also awarded the prestigious Humboldt Research Fellowship for experienced researchers, which he held from 2009 to 2011. In his academic leadership, he served as Vice Rector overseeing academic affairs from May 2014 to May 2020 before becoming Rector. Additionally, he was Vice President and Secretary General of the Vietnam Mathematical Society (VMS) from August 2018 to August 2023 and has been its President since August 2023. He also participated in the International Deans’ Course Southeast Asia (2016/2017). With over 15 years of experience in higher education management, he focuses on advancing education, research, and international collaboration at VNU-HUS, a leading institution in fundamental sciences in Vietnam. He has been involved in many science communication activities organized by VNU-HUS and VMS.

Photo: © Private

Dr Faith Mugisha Ahabyoona

Dean Faculty of Business and Management, Cavendish University, Uganda

Dr Faith Mugisha Ahabyoona is a higher education leader with over 20 years of experience in university governance, academic program evaluation, faculty leadership, and strategic innovation. She has led program reviews, faculty restructuring, and accreditation efforts across multiple institutions, advancing the quality and relevance of higher education in Uganda and beyond. A published scholar with 20 peer-reviewed articles, Dr Ahabyoona’s research focuses on strategic financial management, higher education transformation, and public finance. Her work, such as the Decision Enhancement Credit Facilitation Approach (DECFA), demonstrates her commitment to using research and innovation for social impact. Currently serving as Dean of the Faculty of Business and Management at Cavendish University Uganda, Dr Ahabyoona is a Visiting Scholar at the University of Applied Sciences, Osnabrück (Germany), a Policy Consultant, and a Board Member in multiple educational and professional organizations.

Hosts:

Photo: © Private

Berit Stoppa

Senior Desk Officer, Development Cooperation – Higher Education Management (P32), German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

Berit Stoppa is working for the German Academic Exchange Service, as senior desk officer in the DIES programme team (Section development cooperation: partnership programmes, Alumni project and higher education management). She studied German and English linguistics and has undergone further training in Higher Education Management.

After having worked as director of the DAAD Information Center Accra and lecturer at the University of Education Winneba in Ghana and Université d’Abomey-Calavi in Benin, she worked as scientific manager for the FIW, a research institute of the University of Bonn. In January 2020, she joined the DAAD head office in Bonn, being responsible for Quality Assurance Projects and the collaboration with African partner institutions in the DIES programme team.

Photo: © Private

Iris Danowski

Deputy Head of Department International Affairs, Head of Section Latin America, German Rectors‘ Conference (HRK)

Iris Danowski, M.A. is Deputy Head of the International Department of the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK).

Iris Danowski studied Spanish and French Language and Literature and History of Art at the University of Cologne and the University of Seville, Spain. In 1991, she started her career as ERASMUS coordinator of the University of Cologne. In 1994, she changed to the German Rectors’ Conference as Head of Section for Europe. In the second half of the nineties, she started building up the cooperation with Latin American partners for the HRK and has been coordinating that field since then. Iris Danowski is member of the Steering Committee of the DIES-International Deans’ Course for Latin America, HRK’s Audit team “Internationalisation of Universities” and Steering Committee of the CUAA/DAHZ.

Photo: © Private

Tobias Wolf

Head of Section, Development Cooperation – Higher Education Management (P32), German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

Tobias Wolf is head of section for Development Cooperation: Partnership Programmes, Alumni Projects and Higher Education Management at the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). He is responsible for the overall coordination of the programme “Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies (DIES)” funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). In addition, Tobias has been involved with the implementation of several EU-financed projects dealing with quality assurance and harmonisation processes in higher education.

Tobias joined the DAAD in 2002, initially working at the National Agency for EU Higher Education Cooperation. Prior to his current position he was assigned as DAAD programme manager for projects aiming at the internationalization of PhD programmes in Germany.

Tobias Wolf holds a M.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies from Bielefeld University, Germany. One year of his studies, he spent at Cádiz University, Spain.

Programme

"Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies" (DIES)

Universities throughout the world are operating in an increasingly dynamic environment characterised by global challenges. They face intense competition for students, highly qualified researchers and third-party funding. This holds true for developing countries too, where the demand for tertiary education has been skyrocketing over the last decades.

In light of these developments, higher education management in all its particulars is becoming more and more important in the field of international development cooperation. The programme “Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies” (DIES) has been jointly developed and coordinated by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) since 2001. DIES is strengthening capacities in higher education management, both on individual and institutional level. It offers a wide range of tailored activities training courses, dialogue events and university partnerships. – These activities not only foster the competences of academic staff, but also contribute to the enhancement of institutional management at universities in developing countries. DIES focuses on three key partner regions: Africa, Spanish-speaking Latin America and Southeast Asia. Funding is provided by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

The DAAD is a joint organisation of German institutions of higher education and their student bodies, devoted to internationalising the academic and scientific research system. With its broad range of scholarship programmes, the DAAD enables students, researchers and university lecturers to take advantage of the best study and research opportunities. Since it was founded in 1925, more than 2.5 million scholars in Germany and abroad have received DAAD funding. Apart from the scholar ship programmes the DAAD supports the internationalisation of German universities, promotes German studies and the German language abroad, advises decision makers on matters of cultural, education and development policy and assists developing countries in establishing effective universities by means of special programmes.

German Rectors’ Conference (HRK)

The German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) is the association of state and state-recognised universities in Germany. The HRK currently has 269 member institutions, in which over 90 per cent of all students in Germany are enrolled. The HRK functions as the voice of the universities in dialogue with politicians and the public and as the central forum for opinion-forming in the higher education sector. The HRK cooperates with universities and corresponding organisations all over the world. Its aim is to represent the interest of German universities at an international level and to support German universities in their internationalisation process.

Prof Dr Marcelo Knobel

Former Rector, University of Campinas (Unicamp), Member of the governing council of the Magna Charta Observatory, Brazil

Prof Dr Marcelo Knobel was the 12th Rector of the University of Campinas (Unicamp), in Brazil, where he is a Full Professor of Physics. He held other leadership roles, including: Executive Director of the Unicamp Exploratory Science Museum, Vice-Rector for Undergraduate Programs, Vice-President of the Brazilian Physics Society and Executive Director of the Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano). He has already published more than 300 scientific papers, in addition to numerous opinion pieces in both national and international newspapers and magazines. Prof Knobel is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials (Elsevier). He is an Eisenhower Fellow (2007), Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (2009) and Lemann Fellow (2015). He is Member of the Governing Council of the Magna Charta Observatory.

Prof Dr Eva Asselmann

Professor, Faculty of Health, Health and Medical University, Germany

Prof Dr Eva Asselmann is a Professor of Differential and Personality Psychology in Potsdam. Her research focuses on personality development, health promotion, and prevention. In particular, she examines how personality and mental health change before and after becoming a leader. Her research revealed that emergent leaders experience substantial changes in personality traits (e.g., extraversion and risk affinity) as well as both favorable and unfavorable changes in subjective well-being. Moreover she develops targeted trainings and has many years of practical experience in consulting and coaching for individuals and larger organizations. She is certified in Systemic Coaching, Change Management, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. In 2022, she published her popular science book “What We Grow From” to disseminate her latest research findings on personality development around major life events.