Sue Lyn Chong

Sue Lyn Chong has been working with the Global Diplomacy Lab (GDL) as a project manager since October 2014. Her expertise lies in the coordination and planning of sustainable and innovative networking events all over the world. Social responsibility and supporting local change makers are part and parcel of her work. Before joining the GDL, Sue Lyn organised alumni meetings for the Training for International Diplomats programme at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. Prior to that, she completed her traineeship in Brand Communications during which she had a strong focus on identifying new trends, experiences and perspectives. Before that, she worked as a freelance project manager in the creative sector for several years, always in search of new challenges.

With both Chinese Malaysian and German roots, Sue Lyn grew up in Heidelberg between two different cultural backgrounds, laying the foundations for her work in an international environment today. In her daily life, she combines an eye for detail and respect for everyone in order to create a joint vision that generates trust and cooperation.

Sue Lyn holds an M.A. in Cultural Management and Cultural Tourism from the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) and a B.Sc. in Economics from the Freie Universität Berlin. Her speciality lies in combining rational analytics with creativity when developing new solutions to special tasks. She strives for an environmentally friendly lifestyle and tries to be mindful of the consequences in everything she does.

Corinna Fischer

With her deep-rooted curiosity about everything from politics to psychology, Corinna has studied and worked in very different fields. Whether you talk with her about advances in renewable energy sources, possibilities for using artificial neural networks in medicine or how to make the United Nations a more effective global player, she will listen closely and surely give you her opinion on the matter.

Her passion for communicating with people around the globe and from diverse backgrounds brought her to the GDL in September 2018, where she supports the growing GDL community. Corinna’s work has inspired her to dive deeper into the underlying questions of how member-driven networks can be managed. Hence, she is currently researching the subject outside of her work for the GDL Secretariat together with the Partnership Resource Center at the Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Corinna holds a Master’s degree in Media and Political Communication from Freie Universität Berlin.

While she loves Berlin city life, in her free time Corinna often explores nature on foot or by bike.

Philipp Breer
Philipp is a student of Sociology and Social Research at the University of Cologne and is currently working as a student assistant at the Global Diplomacy Lab. It was his desire to take part in new forms of diplomacy, specifically the exchange between state and non-state actors, which brought him here.

During his studies, he mainly focusses on the integration process of the European Union with a spotlight on discursive strategies in the European Parliament. While working at the political science institute at his university, he was able to gain more in-depth insights into the research process about international organisations and the EU.

Since he is interested in computing sciences, he spent time in courses concerning the development of integrative computing methods in humanities.

He enjoys reading books, visiting the theatre, and trying to cook Asian cuisine.

Lea Schindler
Never one to run out of questions to ask, Lea is passionate about what makes other people tick. Not only does she enjoy delving into her fellow humans’ stories, but she also loves sharing those stories, be they in a personal or – as is the case with the GDL – professional environment. As a PR consultant, she brings her knowledge and expertise in the world of media to the table to ensure that the members’ stories reach as wide an audience as possible.

The GDL’s and Lea’s paths first crossed in 2017, when she interned with the department for International Training for Diplomats at the Federal Foreign Office. Fortunately for her, the GDL enlisted her help to plan and organise the 7^th Lab, entitled “Truth, Memory and Justice”, which took place in Berlin. Witnessing first-hand the incredible drive and hunger for change that the members share, the idea of one day returning to work with the GDL took root in the back of her head. What was once just a hope has now become reality, as she has taken on the role of public relations manager for the GDL.

Lea is responsible for PR and communications within the Secretariat. She is currently also studying Business Psychology as a Master’s at the HMKW University of Applied Sciences. In her leisure time, she can most likely either be found on her road bike, in the swimming pool or with her nose buried deeply in a book.

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Julie August

Julie August is a graphic designer and art curator. She works as a freelancer for publishing houses and architects and organises cultural and social projects, as well as exhibitions. Before moving to Buenos Aires, she lived in Berlin for 15 years. While being art director and chief producer at the publishing house Verlag Klaus Wagenbach, she converted part of her home into a project space for contemporary artists from 2004 to 2014.

The “18m” gallery led Julie to other curatorial projects. She has been directing the women artists’ network “Frauenmuseum Berlin” and is involved with the feminist artists’ forum “Nosotras Proponemos”. She is an active member of th collective "Asamblea Desobediente", fighting for memory, truth and justice alongside other human rights organisations. With Liliana Furió, she co-organises the monthly "Cinedebate Desobediente", online discussions about human rights-related films.

Julie studied German literature in Munich and graphic design in Leipzig. In addition to her cultural activities, she sees a profound necessity to participate in social and human rights issues.

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Learn more about Julie in this article.

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Rudrani Dasgupta

Rudrani Dasgupta works with ActionAid India, an international non-profit aiming to eliminate poverty. Having graduated from University College London with a Masters in sociology (childhood and children’s rights) on a full scholarship, she is now a child rights researcher primarily interested in exploring the long-term impact of structural violence on children, especially in education and family.

She is currently coordinating a state-level study examining the impact of domestic violence on children. Recently, she was part of a state-level committee that drafted a school safety policy for the state of West Bengal in India.

Rudrani has been mentoring young people across the geosocial-economic spectrum ever since she spent two years working in a remote Himalayan school for first generation learners. She also takes a personal interest in mentoring young people from non-traditional and non-linear backgrounds.

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Julia Jaroschewski

Julia Jaroschewski is a reporter and founder of Buzzing Cities Lab, a think tank focusing on digital technology and security in informal settlements such as the Favelas in Rio. She works for Die WELT, Spiegel Online, fluter and WIRED, covering mainly foreign politics, organised crime, the war on drugs and security policy. She studied in Portugal, has an MA in political sciences from Berlin and has worked for the UN in New York and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Mozambique.

Julia has attended the Axel Springer Akademie and Columbia School of Journalism. As a fellow of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation and the Besser-Stiftung she reported from Brazil and South Africa, and from Mozambique as a scholar working for Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung. In 2016 she was part of the international journalism programme for South America, working for the Brazilian newspaper O Globo. She has also spent three months in India as a Media Ambassador for the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

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Read more about her engagement and how cities can function as future labs for innovative forms of diplomacy. More about her ideas on Women in Crime can be found here. Or read her article on community-led crisis response or on Guinea Bissau.

Frederieke is a Master’s student of International Relations and International Organization at the University of Groningen. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in communication science and worked as an intern at the Training for International Diplomats programme at the Federal Foreign Office before joining the GDL as a student assistant.

Climate justice is the field of expertise that she is most passionate about, and it is also the topic of her Master’s thesis. Professionally, she is well versed in content marketing and political journalism and never gets tired of creating new pieces of text.

Having been brought up bilingual, she has always been interested in intercultural communication and learning new languages, with a special focus on Korean, Japanese and French. After completing her Master’s degree, she is planning on delving deeper into the study of law in order to gain a greater insight into European law.

Denis is a highly motivated and open-minded Master's student of European and Global Affairs at Sciences Po Rennes. Growing up trilingual (German, Turkish, French), he studied and lived in Munich, Istanbul and Rennes. Thanks to the international environment in which he grew up, he took an early interest in international relations/politics, therefore he decided after graduating from the Lycée Français Pierre Loti of Istanbul he decided to study political sciences, in Germany and France.

He holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Sciences from the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt and Sciences Po Rennes. He successfully completed an internship at the Bavarian Landtag as an assistant to an MP. Denis is currently finishing his Master's studies by doing an internship at the German Federal Foreign Office, more precisely at the Global Diplomacy Lab Secretariat.

He is a passionate traveller and enjoys getting to know people and cultures and particularly learnimg new languages. Outside of his work, he is fervent sailor and diver. Moreover, he enjoys reading political columns and newspapers in different languages.

Ferdinand is joining the Global Diplomacy Lab Secretariat as a freelancer for the summer.

He is an adventurous person who practises intercultural exchange by surfing couches all around the globe. Ferdinand’s passion for intercultural exchange developed during a high school year in Texas under the CBYX programme. To this day, he cherishes this special connection with the United States.

After his high school graduation, Ferdinand decided to travel the world, a journey that took him from Berlin to Singapore, only by bus and train. While travelling on the Trans-Siberian Railway, he fell in love with the people and culture of Russia and China, developing a keen interest in the politics and history of both countries.

For his Master’s thesis, he will focus on the foreign relations of Eurasia. In his free time, Ferdinand enjoys the outdoors by hiking, cycling and swimming in the south-east of Berlin.

Tobias Veit is a student at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. His academic focus is on tax and housing policy as part of his master’s programme in political economy and international relations. He has already earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science and is now pursuing a second degree in economics to supplement his master’s degree.

 He is currently completing a three-month internship at the Global Diplomacy Lab to gain insight into international diplomacy. Additionally, he is working as a student assistant for the state parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate, supporting the area of political education.

Tobias has broadened his intercultural education through several semesters abroad and brings with him valuable experience from his work at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), which gives him an understanding of the relationship between private and public actors.

Apart from his academic interests, he has a passion for history and in particular also a passion for tea, which he acquired in the United Kingdom. As a newcomer to Berlin, he loves exploring the city and discovering new places. You might meet him “roaming” the streets, looking for the next interesting spot.