Research Adjuncts

Dr. Anna Brzykcy

Anna Brzykcy joined the Chair of Research and Science Management in January 2019 as a postdoctoral researcher. In September 2019, Anna graduated from the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland) with a PhD in Management. Her dissertation is titled "Comparing workplace experiences of persons with and without disabilities: The role of labeling and work flexibility" (summa cum laude). She earned her M.Sc. in Psychology from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Germany). Previously she studied Psychology and German Philology at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków (Poland) and Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany).

Anna’s work provides insights on the effects of (self-) stigma, work flexibility, and destructive forms of leadership behaviour. For example, she examines how official (self-) stigmatizing labels (e.g., severely disabled person) influence social inclusion at work. She also addresses the question of why some employees do not make negative attributions about their leader’s destructive behaviour, whereas others interpret the same behaviour negatively. In her role as systemic therapist and trainer for executive education, she is currently implementing workshops on the role of leadership for both leader and employee mental health.

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Dr. Alina Gales

Alina Gales is a PhD Candidate in the area of Gender Studies in Engineering and Science, where she researches the mutual influence of digital technology and society on women. She is interested in understanding the ways digital technology alters the power dynamics that traditionally exist in hierarchical societal structures. How are digital technologies shaping a society and the individuals positioning themselves within that society? With digital technology disrupting the labor market, our society is faced with new challenges. Alina Gales wants to understand how people – especially women – can influence their status in society and eventually their power rank by embracing digital technologies in the future.

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PD Dr. habil. Kristin Knipfer

Dr. habil. Kristin Knipfer is Senior Research Fellow of the Chair of Research and Science Management. Her research centers around leadership, lifelong learning, and new work and investigates leadership as a catalyst of learning and innovation in new ventures, higher education institutions, and large corporates. Her research findings were published in The Leadership Quarterly, Applied Psychology, Frontiers in Psychology and Journal of Management Education.

Since November 2020 she is Executive Director of the TUM Institute for LifeLong Learning, where she is responsible for the design of the evidence-based leadership and talent development programs for academic leaders and science managers. As leadership development expert and senior lecturer, she has implemented innovative training methods including educational technology to support leaders’ learning and transfer of training.

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