PhD candidates
Prof. Dr Winnie-Karen Giera is the primary supervisor for all PhD students listed here.
Mariesa Keskemeti
Mariesa Keskemeti is a research assistant at the Junior Professorship for German Language Teaching in an Inclusive Context at the University of Potsdam. She has extensive teaching experience in mixed-ability classes and vocational learning environments, including integrated secondary schools, upper secondary centres, welcome classes and adult education. She gained international teaching experience during her teaching placement at the German School in Bilbao, Spain. She completed an accelerated teacher training programme in Berlin-Kreuzberg (12 months teaching German and WAT for secondary levels I/II).
Her research focuses on language education, the promotion of writing and argumentation, inclusion, and digital learning formats. As part of her doctoral research, she is investigating Qualitative Argumentative Structure Analysis (QASA) as a bridge between text linguistics and German language teaching. The focus is on the analysis, modelling and visualisation of argumentative structures in school-based discussions, as well as on their didactic application for formative feedback and writing support.
Mariesa Keskemeti obtained a Master of Education in German (Humboldt University of Berlin) and Work Studies (Technical University of Berlin) in 2024 and additionally completed a certificate programme in German in a Multilingual Context (Humboldt University of Berlin, 2020). Her career combines empirical research, teaching practice and the development of innovative, inclusive teaching approaches designed to foster argumentative writing skills.
Anja Karen Kölling
Anja Karen Kölling completed her Master’s degree in Modern German Literature, Linguistics, Psychology and Theatre Studies at the Free University of Berlin (graduated in 2007) and further developed her profile through postgraduate courses in Applied Literary Studies and German as a Foreign Language (DaF).
She began gaining international teaching experience in the field of DaF/DaZ as early as 2000, including at the Casa de Cultura Alemã at the Universidade Federal do Ceará (Fortaleza, Brazil), at the German House at NYU, New York University (New York, USA), at the universities UFRRJ (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Università degli Studi di Milano (Milan, Italy), at the Goethe-Institut (Berlin and Lisbon, Portugal) and at the GLS Language Centre Berlin.
After several years teaching in welcome and German classes at the Oberstufenzentrum Modeschule Berlin (2015–2018), she worked in adult education as a project manager and editor at Cornelsen Verlag (2018–2020) and as a volunteer trainer at the Netbased Learning Institute Berlin. She also designed and led freelance training courses and coaching sessions for (DaF/DaZ) teachers. From 2021 to 2024, she worked as a DAAD lecturer and tutor at the Università degli Studi di Milano in Italy.
Since returning to Potsdam in 2024, Karen Kölling has been focusing, as part of an innovative teaching project and her doctoral research at the University of Potsdam, on research-based innovations in the field of German language teaching, and in particular on the transfer of theory into practice in multilingual, inclusive learning environments. Her doctoral research is grounded in design-based research and aims to combine qualitative and quantitative methods. The objective is to develop and evaluate intervention concepts, grounded in theatre pedagogy and embodied learning, to promote pronunciation and reading skills (particularly reading fluency and intelligibility) among lower secondary school pupils.
Susanne Stadlmayr
Born in Austria, her academic career began with a Master’s degree in German Studies at the University of Vienna, which she completed in 2005 with a specialisation in children’s and young adult literature. During her studies, she worked as an educational and research assistant at the International Institute for Children’s Literature and Reading Research in Vienna.
Her professional career then took her to a bilingual training institute for deafness, hearing impairment and diversity, where she worked as a project manager for educational concepts in an inclusive context. After completing her ‘teacher training for special schools’, she joined the teaching staff at Vienna’s compulsory schools.
Until 2022, she worked as a special needs teacher at several schools in Vienna, focusing on reading and language support. She taught primary school children in inclusive, multilingual settings and initiated numerous projects such as Kamishibai theatre performances and pre-school programmes to promote literacy.
From 2019, she was involved in establishing the “Primary Level Reading Department” at the Vienna Education Authority and made a significant contribution to the professional development of teachers in inclusive settings. She has received several awards for her commitment – including from the Vienna City School Board – and was nominated for the 2016 Leseaward for the project “Reading Tandems in Multilingual Classes”.
Since 2009, she has also worked as a freelance university lecturer and author both in Austria and abroad. Her publications include, amongst other things, a textbook on introducing written language acquisition in mixed-ability classes, as well as materials and publications on inclusive education.
In 2022, she took up a full-time position as a lecturer at the University of Education Lower Austria in the Department of Diversity, where she focused on German and written language didactics, the area of support for hearing and communication, and mentoring in school practice.
Since September 2025, she has been heading the ‘Hearing and Communication Support’ department at an educational campus in Vienna.
Abdelaziz Amine Benyamina
Abdelaziz Amine Benyamina is a PhD candidate in Applied Linguistics at the University of Potsdam, supervised by Prof. Dr. Winnie-Karen Giera and Prof. Dr. Outi Tuomainen. His research investigates dyslexia in multilingual educational contexts, with a focus on integrating intercultural perspectives and evidence-based approaches into inclusive didactics and naturalistic speech assessment. Positioned at the interface of educational linguistics, literacy studies, and special educational needs, his work seeks to develop context-sensitive frameworks for the identification and support of learners with dyslexia across diverse linguistic settings.
He completed an MA in Intercultural Communication and Education at the University of Exeter in 2025 as a Chevening Scholarship recipient. His dissertation examined intercultural dimensions of dyslexia support in multicultural classrooms. He also holds a Master’s degree in Didactics of English and Applied Linguistics (2013), with a focus on cultural awareness in language learning.
Prior to his doctoral studies, he accumulated over eight years of professional experience as a secondary school English teacher in Algeria, where he designed and implemented instructional practices for linguistically and educationally diverse learners. In 2022, he completed the From Teacher to Trainer programme at the Norwich Institute for Language Education (NILE), subsequently delivering teacher training and contributing to professional development initiatives. In 2023, he coordinated a Community of Practice in collaboration with the British Council, facilitating knowledge exchange among educators across Algeria and the MENA region.
His research adopts an interdisciplinary and practice-oriented approach, aiming to translate empirical findings into pedagogical applications and to advance inclusive, evidence-informed language education.
Ziba Tavakolifar
Ziba Tavakolifar is a PhD candidate in Applied Linguistics at the University of Potsdam under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Winnie-Karen Giera and Prof. Dr. Aoife Ahern (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain).
Her doctoral project, Designing Inclusive English Lessons for Multilingual Learners (Sek I): Reading–Oracy–Writing Pathways in Heterogeneous Classrooms (R2L-Informed DBR), explores inclusive English language teaching, multilingual classrooms, and the design of evidence-based pedagogical approaches for diverse learners.
She completed a second Master’s degree in English-speaking Culture, Language, and Media at the University of Bremen, where her research focused on multimodal ELT materials, annotation and coding schemes, semiotic analysis, and English language teaching in multilingual contexts. She also holds an MA in General Linguistics, with a thesis in Critical Discourse Analysis, and a BA in English Literature.
Before beginning her doctoral studies, she gained more than ten years of professional experience as an English teacher, tutor, and teacher trainer in a range of educational settings. Her teaching experience includes work with children, adolescents, and adult learners in face-to-face, online, and hybrid formats. In Germany, she taught Business English I and Business English II at IU International University of Applied Sciences in Bremen. She also holds internationally recognised qualifications, including TESOL, IELTS Teacher Training, and Young Learners TTC certifications.
Her academic and professional interests lie in applied linguistics, multilingualism, inclusive education, multimodal pedagogy, literacy development, and innovative approaches to language teaching. She works professionally in English and is currently expanding her German language skills.