Katharina Thießen

since 2025
Scientific documentarian and expert for historical radio collections at the German Broadcasting Archive

2020-2024
Research associate in Contemporary Witness Work and Oral History at the Berlin Wall Foundation

2020
ZZF Potsdam Final Scholarship 

since 2017
Doctoral candidate at the Institute for Social Movements (ISB) Bochum and at ZZF Potsdam in the Department “Regimes of the Social Sphere" (Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Stefan Berger, Second Supervisor: PD Dr. Winfried Süß) as well as scholarship of the Hans Böckler Foundation (2017-2020) in the graduate school ”Social Consequences of the Changing Working Environment in the Second Half of the 20th century”,
PhD Project: "Jobs for everyone? The role of the German Trade Union Confederation in the conflicts about unemployment and poverty, 1972-1998" (Working Title)

2015-2016
Scientific Trainee at the Berlin Wall Foundation (Departments “Oral History and Biographical Research“, “Collections and Archives” and “Exhibition”)

2014
Assistant of the Managing Director at the Marbach Weimar Wolfenbüttel Research Association

2011-2014
Master degree in Political Science at the University of Potsdam

2010
Internship at the Heinrich Böll Foundation Berlin / Green Memory Archive (Department „Democracy and Contemporary History“)

2009-2014
Student Assistant at ZZF Potsdam (Department “Regimes of the Social Sphere. Mobilization, Welfare State and Rationalisation”)

2009
Internship at the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture Brandenburg (Department “Policy Matters in Contemporary and Cultural History”)

2008-2011
Bachelor degree in Sociology and Political Science / Administration at the University of Potsdam

2008
A level at the Goethe-Gymnasium in Ludwigslust

1989
born as "Täufert" in Ludwigslust (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)

Research interest:

• Development of both German states and the inner German relations
• History of Social Policy
• Trade Union History
• Oral History and biographical research
• History of broadcasting