Margarete von Wrangell Fellowship for Research on New Media in China
Freiburg, 03/07/2025
Dr. Jessica Imbach receives Margarete von Wrangell fellowship from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science
With the ‘Margarete von Wrangell Programme’, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts (MWK) supports ten especially well-qualified female researchers on the path to a professorship together with the European Social Fund and the individual universities. Among this year’s recipients is Dr. Jessica Imbach, junior professor at the University of Freiburg’s Institute of Chinese Studies. The main focus of her work is on literary, cultural, and media studies research on contemporary China. Her current research explores the significance of fantasy and science fiction literature for cultural policy. ‘The topic of Chinese speculative literature is already attracting great international attention but is still vastly underrepresented in the German research landscape’, says Imbach. ‘I’m therefore delighted to be able to contribute to closing this gap with the help of the fellowship and to expand this field in an interdisciplinary context at the University of Freiburg.’
“The topic of Chinese speculative literature is already attracting great international attention but is still vastly underrepresented in the German research landscape.“
Dr. Jessica Imbach
Junior Professor, Institute of Chinese Studies, University of Freiburg
Imbach will be able to employ a female scholar who has recently completed her doctorate for the coming three years. In return, the postdoctoral researcher will receive a full-time position and the opportunity to qualify for an advanced position, such as junior research group leader or tenure track / junior professor. This research collaboration with Bingbing Shi, who earned her PhD from Cambridge College, UK, and whose current research project investigates the interfaces between techniques of translation, gender issues, and social media in China, will additionally expand this field of research at the University of Freiburg.
‘The chance to attract an outstanding researcher like Ms Shi means a considerable boost to the University of Freiburg’s international reputation and is of great value not only for our personal professional further qualification but also for Baden-Württemberg as a centre for science and research’, says Imbach.
Career paths for female researchers at the University of Freiburg
The commitment to gender equality at the University of Freiburg is driven by the vision of a gender-equitable university: Women and men are represented equally at all academic qualification levels as well as in management positions. In this context, the University of Freiburg has included gender equity targets in its structural and development plan. For example, the University aims to achieve a 33% increase in the proportion of females in tenured professorships by 2028. A look at the state- and nationwide data as well as data from Freiburg shows clearly that women are particularly prone to abandon an academic career at the postdoctoral stage and that specific support measures are necessary in these years.
The University of Freiburg is thus making special efforts to support women in their development at an early stage in their careers. Several university-wide support programmes have been initiated for this purpose, such as the coaching programme CORA, which supports female postdoctoral researchers on the path to the professorship. These programmes are complemented by further initiatives that contribute to a gender-equitable university culture, thus making it more attractive for women to pursue an academic career.
For more information, please visit the website of the University of Freiburg’s Department of Equity, Diversity, and Academic Personnel Development.