Management Board
Co-chair of the project
Prof. Dr. Guido Hausmann
Thematic focus: Language and Cultural Heritage
Prof. Dr. Guido Hausmann is Head of the History Division at the Leibniz-Institute for East and Southeast European Studies and Professor at the University of Regensburg. Guido Hausmann is Co-Chair of the DAAD Center for interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies “Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine”, co-chair of the German-Ukrainian Historical Commission and a member of the Jean Monnet Network “Challenges and Opportunities for EU Heritage Diplomacy in Ukraine”, coordinated by Catholic University Leuven (2023-2026).
Guido Hausmann is project leader of “Commodity Frontiers in Eastern Europe. Environment and Societies at Global Risk (16th-21st Centuries)”, and subproject leader of “The Rise of a Manganese Ore Frontier in Western Georgia and Southeast Ukraine, end of 19th Century – 1950s” (Leibniz Collaborative Excellence Programme, 2025-2028).
His scientific interests encompass modern history of Ukraine in comparative perspective, in particular state building (1918, 1991), urban history, social and economic history.
Co-chair of the project
Prof. Dr. Mirja Lecke
Thematic focus: Language and Cultural Heritage
Mirja Lecke is chair of Slavic Literatures and Cultures at the University of Regensburg, Germany. She is Co-Chair of the project ““Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine”. Her academic interests include postcolonial approaches to culture in the Russian Empire and the so-called post-Soviet realm.
She is the author of Westland (2015), a monograph about the representation of the Western borderlands in Russian imperial literature, and with Efraim Sicher she co-edited Cosmopolitan Spaces in Odesa: A Case Study of an Urban Context (Academic Studies Press, 2023).
Prof. Dr. Katrin Boeckh
Thematic focus: Flight, Migration, and Value Transfer
Katrin Boeckh, Prof. Dr., is a Senior Researcher at the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies in Regensburg (Germany) and a Professor of East and Southeast European History at LMU Munich. Within“Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine”, she coordinates the thematic field Flight, Migration and Value Transfer.
Her research interests include ethno-national conflicts, state and church in socialist countries, institutions of late Stalinism, and the discourse of values in post-Soviet transformation, focusing on Ukraine, the Soviet Union and the countries of Yugoslavia. She is a corresponding member of the Pontifical Historical Commission and a member of the Scientific Historical Commission of the German Bishops’ Conference. She is leading a research group on the expulsion of Germans from Eastern Europe after the Second World War and their integration in Germany/Bavaria.
Her most recent monograph is: Back to the USSR. Russlands sowjetische Vergangenheit (2023). Further publications are: Stalinismus in der Ukraine: Die Rekonstruktion des sowjetischen Systems nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg (2007); Ukraine. Von der Roten zur Orangenen Revolution (2007), as editor (with Oleh Turij): Religiöse Pluralität als Faktor des Politischen in der Ukraine (2015).
Prof. Dr. Ulf Brunnbauer
Thematic focus: Flight, Migration, and Value Transfer
Ulf Brunnbauer completed his PhD at the University of Graz in 1999 with a thesis on household structures and economics in the Rhodope Mountains (19th-20th century). In 2003 he started working at the Institute for East European Studies at the Free University of Berlin and in 2006 he habilitated with a study on social policy in communist Bulgaria (1944-1989). Since 2008, he has been Professor of Southeast and East European History at the University of Regensburg and head of the Southeast Institute. From 2012, he was Managing Director of the IOS and became the first full-time Scientific Director in 2017 after the Institute was accepted into the Leibniz Association. Ulf Brunnbauer is a member of the steering committee of “Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine” and heads the research area “Flight, migration and value transfer” together with Prof. Dr. Katrin Boeckh.
His research focuses on the social history of the Balkans in the 19th and 20th centuries, in particular historical family research, migration history, and labor history. He also studies nation-building, Muslim minorities in south-eastern Europe and the historiography of the region. More recently, he has shed light on the global-historical connections of Southeast Europe, with a focus on social history and historical anthropology.
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Herbert Küpper
Thematic focus: War, Peace, and Post-War Order
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Herbert Küpper is the Managing Director of the Institute for East European Law in Regensburg and holds the Chair for European Public Law and its Jurisprudence at Andrássy University Budapest. In the Center “Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine”, he co-leads the research field "War, Peace, and Post-War Order” with Prof. Dr. Cindy Wittke.
His research focuses on the law of East European and Central Asian states, particularly Hungarian law, the comparative legal handling of totalitarian state crimes, comparative constitutional and administrative law, and legal translation.
He studied at the University of Cologne and King’s College London, completed his legal training in Cologne and Budapest (Hungarian Ministry of the Interior), and received his habilitation with a venia legendi in Constitutional and Administrative Law, East European Law, and Public International Law. His research residencies include the Hungarian Academy of Science in Budapest and the Centre for Asian Legal Exchange in Nagoya. He has acted as an expert advisor in legislative processes in Germany and Hungary.
Prof. Dr. Cindy Wittke
Thematic focus: War, Peace, and Post-War Order
Prof. Dr. Cindy Wittke is head of the Political Science Research Group at the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS) in Regensburg. Her research is situated at the intersections between international law, international politics, peace and conflict research, and area studies. In the coming years, she will focus on three topics in the field relating to the politics of international law: 1) the role of international law discourses in unresolved territorial conflicts in Eastern Europe, 2) peace negotiations, peace agreements and post-war orders since the end of the Cold War from a cross-regional comparative perspective, and 3) a long-term research project on politics and laboratories of international law in Eastern Europe. In “Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine”, she is co-coordinator of the thematic line “War, Peace and Post-War Order”. Cindy Wittke is the author of a monograph on peace agreements published by Cambridge University Press, as well as numerous articles in peer-reviewed international journals. In the fall of 2024, her first nonfiction book for a wider audience was published by Quadriga Verlag/Bastei Lübbe: Frieden verhandeln im Krieg. Russlands Krieg, Chancen auf Frieden und die Kunst des Verhandelns (co-author: Mandy Ganske-Zapf).
Antje Himmelreich
Thematic focus: War, Peace, and Post-War Order
Antje Himmelreich ist seit 2008 wissenschaftliche Referentin für das Recht der Staaten des postsowjetischen Raums am Institut für Ostrecht in Regensburg. Seit 2019 lehrt sie osteuropäisches Recht an der Fakultät für Rechtswissenschaft der Universität Regensburg. Im Rahmen des „Denkraum Ukraine“ leitet sie gemeinsam mit Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Herbert Küpper und Prof. Dr. Cindy Wittke das Themenfeld „Krieg, Frieden, Nachkriegsordnung“.
Ihre Forschungsschwerpunkte liegen im Recht der osteuropäischen und zentralasiatischen Staaten mit besonderem Fokus auf dem ukrainischen und russischen Recht. Sie veröffentlicht jährlich die „Schwerpunkte der Rechtsentwicklung der Ukraine“ im „Jahrbuch für Ostrecht“ sowie mehrmals im Jahr die „Chroniken der Rechtsentwicklung der Ukraine“ in der Zeitschrift „Wirtschaft und Recht in Osteuropa“. Seit 2009 führt sie regelmäßig deutsch-ukrainische Forschungs- und Lehrprojekte zu unterschiedlichen Themen zu Demokratie und Rechtsstaatlichkeit im Rahmen der DAAD-Programme „Unterstützung der Demokratie in der Ukraine“ und „Ost-West-Dialog“ durch. Ihr jüngstes Projekt ist ein von der Deutschen Stiftung Friedensforschung gefördertes Pilotprojekt „‘Restorative Justice‘ in der Ukraine: Die (fehlende) Aufarbeitung des sowjetischen Unrechts von 1991 bis heute“.
Prof. Dr. Thomas Steger
Thematic focus: Regional diversity: comparing industrial and border region
Thomas Steger is chair of Leadership and Organization at the University of Regensburg, Germany. He is a board member of the project “Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine”. His academic interests include employee participation and ownership as well as corporate governance, both with particular interest in the region of Central and Eastern Europe.
His most recent publications include “The key to Organizational Democracy and Corporate Sustainability? – The Role of Employee Shareholder Associations in German Listed Companies (forthcoming, Business and Society Review, 2024) as well as “Management and Business Ethics in Central and Eastern Europe” (Special Issue of the Journal of Business Ethics, co-edited with Anna Soulsby and Anna Remisova, 2021).
Dr. Oleksandr Zabirko
Thematic focus: Regional diversity: comparing industrial and border region
Oleksandr Zabirko is a senior researcher (Post-Doc) at the Slavic Department of the University of Regensburg and a member of the management board at the research center “Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine”. His research focuses on literary models of spatial and political order, contemporary Russian and Ukrainian literatures, and speculative fiction. His recent publications include Literary Forms of Geopolitics: The Modeling of Spatial and Political Order in Contemporary Russian and Ukrainian Literature (in German, 2021) and Figurations of the East (in German, co-edited, 2022). He also serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of European Studies and the book series Ukrainian Voices.
Team
Project coordinator
Dr. Olha Martyniuk
Dr. Olha Martyniuk ist die Koordinatorin des Zentrums für interdisziplinäre Ukrainestudien „Denkraum Ukraine“. Sie verteidigte ihre Dissertation mit dem Titel „Gefallene sowjetische Soldaten und Veteranen des Zweiten Weltkriegs: Erinnerung auf lokaler Ebene in der Ukraine (1991–2021)“ an der Universität Regensburg. Zuvor war sie wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin an der Universität Regensburg und der Universität Leipzig sowie DAAD-Stipendiatin am Leibniz-Institut für Ost- und Südosteuropaforschung (IOS) Regensburg.
Project coordinator (on maternity and parental leave)
Anna Boger
Anna Boger is a coordinator of the center “Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine”. She has completed a teacher training degree in pedagogy and methodology of secondary education, language, and literature (English and German) at Mykola Gogol State University in Nizhyn, Ukraine. In addition, she obtained a Master's degree in German Studies, English Studies, and American Studies from Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg. The focus of her research was on translation strategies and techniques. Anna Boger has several years of professional experience in higher education and in various third-party funded projects.
Press and public relations manager
Anna Khomutkova
Anna Khomutkova is a press and public relations manager in the project “Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine”. She studied German language and literature at the Odesa National I. I. Mechnykov University and later worked as a project and communication manager in the cultural sector in Ukraine. After receiving the DAAD Master's scholarship in 2021, she studied European Studies with a focus on media, art history and history of Eastern Europe at the University of Passau and worked in parallel as a communications manager in several organizations in Germany. She has been part of the “Thnik Space Ukraine” team since September 2024.
Administrative office
Anatoli Chaban
Anatolii Chaban serves as a secretary at “Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine”. Shortly before starting this role, he completed a Master’s degree in European Studies at the University of Regensburg, building on his earlier academic background in International Relations.
His primary responsibilities include correspondence, personnel management, and administrative tasks. Previously, he contributed to the study of Eastern European history as a student assistant to Prof. Dr. Hausmann.
Anatolii’s research interests focus on Ukrainian independence, nationality policies in the Soviet Union, and the cultural phenomena of the "Executed Renaissance" and the "Sixtiers."
Administrative office
Eliseo Antonio Ordóñez Ramos
Eliseo Antonio Ordóñez Ramos, B. A., studied theology and philosophy at the Central University of Venezuela. During his studies, he worked as a student assistant at the History of Philosophy Institute. After training as a hotel manager, he gained guest and customer service experience in various hotels in Germany. Since the start of the project, he has been supporting the secretariat team with administrative tasks and event support. He is currently preparing to take the IHK exam to become a Bachelor Professional for Office and Project Organisation and to obtain a trainer's certificate.
Ukrainian Language Course
Dr. Oksana Turkevych
Dr. Oksana Turkevych is a lecturer of Ukrainian at the Institute of Slavic Studies, University of Regensburg, with extensive experience in teaching Ukrainian language and culture. Her courses cover levels from A1 to C1, combining language practice with cultural content, including translation and intercultural aspects.
Her current research focuses on the role of the Ukrainian language in the context of multilingualism, particularly from a didactic perspective. These topics were a key focus of her work within the MSCA4Ukraine project at Humboldt University in Berlin (2023–2024).
With 16 years of teaching experience, Dr. Turkevych is a recognized expert in the didactics of Ukrainian as a foreign language. She is the author of the textbook series “Let’s Talk Ukrainian” („Розмовляймо українською“) and a co-author of materials such as “Krok-1”, “Travelling in Ukraine” („Мандрівка Україною“), and “1000 і 1 слово”.
Student Assistant
Viktoriia Turkivska
Viktoriia Turkivska is currently working as a student assistant at “Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine” in the research area of "Language and Cultural Heritage". Her academic background includes a master’s degree in East European Studies (M.A.) at the University of Regensburg, which she started in 2023. Her major focuses on History and Social Anthropology, while her minor studies cover Law and Economics. Additionally, she is pursuing supplementary studies in Bohemicum (Czech Studies). Viktoriia also participated in an Erasmus exchange program at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg from 2022 to 2023.
From 2019 to 2023, Viktoriia completed a bachelor’s degree in international political Country Studies and Arabic Translation at the Institute of International Relations, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine.
Professionally, Viktoriia gained practical experience as a student assistant in the Library and Digital Research Infrastructure department at the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies, a position she held from November 2023 to July 2024.
Student Assistant
Lea Pheiffer
Ms Pheiffer completed her bachelor’s degree in British studies at the University of Regensburg in 2023.
Since 2023, she has been pursuing an interdisciplinary master’s in European studies at the University of Regensburg, specialising in international law, transnational human rights protection, EU law, geopolitics, European politics, and global history.
From 2020 to 2025, she worked as a copywriter and proofreader for the Straubinger Tagblatt. In 2024, she completed an internship in the European Department of the Federal Foreign Office.
Since 2025, she has been a student assistant in the research area of “War, Peace and Post-War Order” of the “Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine”. She is involved in the project “Restorative Justice in Ukraine” and supports the planning of a special issue of the Ukraine-Analysen on the topic of war crimes. Email: lea.pheiffer@stud.uni-regensburg.de
Student Assistant
Maximilian Hartl
Maximilian Hartl holds an M.A. in Democracy Studies with a focus on the development and dissemination of political narratives. Currently, he works as a student assistant at “Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine”, where he conducts literature research, compile bibliographies, and supports the preparation and implementation of events.
Previously he worked as a student assistant at the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies, where he was part of the editorial team of the Länderanalysen and assisted in publishing the journals Russian- and Ukrainian Analytical Digest. His research interests particularly include the construction of imperial identities and the performance of ontological narratives in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.