people

Moritz Bondeli is a Postdoctoral Researcher affiliated with the Institute for the Social Sciences at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin. In his research, he deploys quantitative methods of causal inference to study democratization and democratic erosion.

He has completed his Ph.D. in Political Science at Yale University in the spring of 2025. Previously, he studied at the Universities of Oxford and Lausanne. His dissertation research on Weimar Germany is supported by an Emerging Scholar Award from the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation.

Annina Hermes is a Ph.D. candidate at the Research Training Group “The Dynamics of Demography, Democratic Processes and Public Policy” (DYNAMICS), jointly organized by the Hertie School and the Department of Social Sciences at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, since 2024.

She holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from Sciences Po Paris and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Dresden, where she worked as a research and teaching assistant at the Chair of Political Systems and Comparative Politics. Additionally, Annina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Annina’s research interests are in comparative politics and political behavior, with a focus on party competition and the role of challenger parties.

Zoe Celina Krüger is a Ph.D. candidate at the Research Training Group “The Dynamics of Demography, Democratic Processes and Public Policy” (DYNAMICS), jointly organized by the Hertie School and the Department of Social Sciences at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

She holds a Master of Philosophy from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Science from the University of Amsterdam. As part of her undergraduate studies, she received a scholarship to spend a semester at the Institut d’études politiques de Paris.

Her research explores key issues in political economy, with a particular focus on inequality, redistribution, and labour market transformations.

Markus Kollberg is a postdoctoral researcher at the Chair of Comparative Political Behavior. Prior to this, he worked at Humboldt University of Berlin as part of a project funded by the Einstein Foundation.

He received his Ph.D. from University College London (UCL) in 2023 and has held visiting positions at Yale University, Nuffield College (Oxford), and the University of Vienna.

His research examines the challenges posed by the success of populist–authoritarian parties for mainstream parties, effective governance, and the resilience of liberal democracies.

Frederik Thieme has been a research assistant and doctoral student at the Chair of Comparative Political Behavior since April 2023. Before receiving his master’s degree in social sciences from Humboldt University, he studied publishing and communication as well as political science at Freie Universität Berlin. During his studies, he already worked as a student assistant at the Chair of Comparative Political Behavior.

Frederik Thieme’s research focuses on the influence of events on the behavior of political actors. He also focuses on the intersection of economic inequality and political behavior and possible interactions.

Tim Wappenhans is a Ph.D. candidate and research fellow at the Chair of Comparative Politics since October 2020. Before graduating in Social Sciences from Humboldt University, he studied Cultural History and Theory and European Ethnology in Berlin, as well as Sociology at Portland State University, OR.

During his studies, Tim Wappenhans worked as a Student Assistant at the Chair of Quantitative Social Research, the Chair of Comparative Politics, as well as at the Cluster of Excellency Scripts (Contestation of the Liberal Scripts).

His main research interest lies in political behavior with a focus on political and civic reaction to the success of radical right parties.

Susanna Wirthgen is a Ph.D. candidate at the Research Training Group “The Dynamics of Demography, Democratic Processes and Public Policy” (DYNAMICS), jointly organized by the Hertie School and the Department of Social Sciences at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, since 2024.

She holds a B.Sc. in Politics and Economics and an M.Sc. in Economic Policy and Quantitative Methods (EPQM) from the University of Potsdam and spent a semester abroad at the University of Birmingham. She has worked as a research assistant at the Chair of Empirical Economics and as a teaching assistant at multiple chairs of the University of Potsdam.

Her research interests include advanced quantitative methods and causal inference techniques in the field of political behavior research.