Project team

Katrin Lange holds a diploma in political science from University Leipzig. She is project coordinator and research officer of the Observatory. Previously, she worked for the Agency for the Second Gender Equality Report of the German Federal Government at the Institute for Social Work and Social Education (2015-2018), for the German Woman Lawyers Association (2012-2016), and for the European Movement Germany (2010-2011). Her fields of expertise include gender equality policy, family and reconciliation policy, and policy for children and young people.



E-mail: katrin.lange(at)iss-ffm.de
Position: project coordinator and research officer

Maike Merkle holds a master’s degree in Sociology and Education Science from the Technical University of Darmstadt and the University Toulouse II Le Mirail. During her studies she worked as a research assistant for the German Institute for International Educational Research (DIPF) in Frankfurt/Main where she wrote her master’s thesis. Her fields of expertise include policy-making for older people, care and demographic change in European context.

E-Mail: maike.merkle(at)iss-ffm.de
Position: research officer

Marie Wittenius has an academic background in European Studies and International Relations/ Peace and Conflict Research. In her prior work for the European External Action Service and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit in Brussels she focused on political challenges in the areas of humanitarian aid and development cooperation. For the Observatory, she monitors sociopolitical developments and trends at EU level. Currently, her thematic work focuses on gender equality and lgbti policies.

E-mail: marie.wittenius(at)iss-ffm.de
Position: research officer

Friederike Sprang is a Master's student of European Studies at European University Viadrina in Frankfurt Oder. Her main study focus areas are politics and migration. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Governance and Public Policy from the University of Passau. Due to internships at the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO and the German Embassy in Nairobi her main interests include human rights and migration politics as well as anti-discrimination and social justice.

E-mail: friederike.sprang(at)iss-ffm.de
Position: student assistant

Vanessa Vehling studied cultural studies and romance languages and literature at the University of Bremen and Valencia (Spain). Her master's thesis dealt with multilingualism and cultural identity in Catalonia. Before working as a project assistant for the Observatory, she was responsible for organizing academic events, attending international research fellows and coordinating various committees in several projects at the Forum Transregional Studies.


E-mail: vanessa.vehling(at)iss-ffm.de
Position: project assistant