Dr. Maja Katharina Schachner
Kopernikusstr. 7, Potsdam, Germany
E-mail: maja.schachner@googlemail.com; Phone: +49 (0) 176 922 79265
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Post-doctoral Researcher
from 10/2014
Inclusive Education Group, University of Potsdam, Germany
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Teaching and supervision as part of the BA and MA curricula in Inclusive Education and working on several
research projects as stated from page 2 onwards
Pre-doctoral Researcher
04/2014 - 09/2014
Department of Educational Psychology, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Germany
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Teaching and supervision as part of the BA and MA curricula in Educational Psychology and working on several
research projects as stated from page 2 onwards
Pre-doctoral Researcher
04/2014 - 09/2014
Department of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Tilburg University, Netherlands
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Teaching as part of the BA curricula in Cross-Cultural Psychology and working on several research projects as
stated from page 2 onwards
Doctoral Fellow
04/2014 - 09/2014
Graduate School for Human Behaviour in Social and Economic Change, Friedrich-SchillerUniversität Jena, Germany
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Teaching as part of the BA curricula in Cross-Cultural Psychology and working on several research projects as
stated from page 2 onwards
DEGREES & EDUCATION
Joint PhD in Educational and Cross-Cultural Psychology at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität
04/2009 - 03/2013
Jena, Germany, and Tilburg University, Netherlands
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Dissertation: “Contextual conditions for acculturation and school-related outcomes of early adolescent immigrants
in Germany” (supervised by Prof. Peter Noack, Prof. Stephan Lessenich & Prof. Fons Van de Vijver)
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“Summa cum laude” (with distinction)
MSc in Cross-Cultural Psychology
10/2007 - 03/2009
School of Social Sciences, Brunel University West London, U.K.
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Cross-cultural variations in psychological findings, cross-cultural research methods, social anthropology
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MSc thesis: “Crossed categorisation, culture and tolerance – the role of ingroup inclusiveness in a cross-cultural
comparison of Poland, East and West Germany” (supervised by Dr. Toby Robertson)
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A – “with distinction”; best dissertation award by the faculty of Social Sciences)
BA in Psychology w. Contemporary European Studies (67%),
10/2003 - 06/2006
School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, U.K.
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First year completed at Martin Luther Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
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Final year electives: Organisational Psychology, Social Psychology of Prejudice; EU Policy Making
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BA theses in Social Psychology (“A terror management perspective on attitudes towards foreigners following the
London bombings in July 2005”, supervised by Dr. Vivian Vignoles; A) and EU Social Policy (“The relation between
national and European identities and attitudes towards a European constitution in France, Germany and the UK”,
supervised by Dr. Francis McGowan; A)
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A’ Levels, Andreae-Gymnasium Herrenberg, Germany
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Final exams in German (A), English (A), Mathematics (A) and Ethics (A)
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Final average mark: 13 out of 15 (German marking system)
09/1993 – 07/2002
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Freelance Consultant in Educational and Cross-Cultural Psychology
from 05/2012
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Running workshops on various topics within Educational, Cross-Cultural and Organisational Psychology
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Running “train-the-trainer” workshops on intercultural relations and didactics
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Providing consultancy services and scientific briefings on various topics within Cross-Cultural Psychology
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Clients from public and private sector (e.g., Thüringer Institut für Lehrerfortbildung, Lehrplanentwicklung und
Medien (THILLM), Interculture.ev and Unilever Netherlands)
British Council Head Office, London, U.K.
02/2007 - 04/2008
Equal Opportunities & Diversity (EO&D) Advisor, full time employment (reduced to part time from October 2007)
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Provided advice on EO&D related issues to external and internal clients from the UK and overseas
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Managed the EO&D element of the corporate performance scorecard and provided guidance on improvements to
109 country offices worldwide throughout the year
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Provided guidance / support for EO&D related regional projects (e.g. Social Inclusion Project in Eastern Europe)
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Ran workshops on EO&D issues and presented the unit’s work at an International EO&D conference
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Assisted in EO&D related research carried out by the British Council
Grow.up. Management Consultancy, Gummersbach, Germany
06/2006 - 11/2006
Intern Human Resources Consulting, full time internship
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Prepared presentations and handouts for seminars and workshops on HR issues and assisted the consultant
throughout the delivery of the training event
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Generated selection tools and assisted in candidate evaluation including evaluating psychometric tests
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Contributed to several publications on HR issues in German and English
Royal Mencap Society, Brighton, U.K.
05/2005 - 06/2006
Relief Support Worker, part time employment
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Worked with people with learning disabilities and mental health problems in supported living and residential homes
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
Projects and collaborations:
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Collaborator (consultancy and provision of tools and measures) in the project “Interactive acculturation of primary
school children and their teachers in ethnically heterogeneous classrooms” (P.I.: Prof. Dr. Andrea Haenni-Hoti,
University of Education Luzern, Switzerland); from 2014
Collaborator (adult data collection Germany) in the project “Response styles across cultures” (P.I.: Jamis He,
Tilburg University, Netherlands; Co-P.I.: Prof. Dr. Fons J. R. Van de Vijver, Tilburg University, Netherlands, NorthWest University, South Africa, & University of Queensland, Australia); 2013-2014
Collaborator (adolescent and adult data collection Germany) in the project “Parenting, sense of community and
psychological well-being across cultural contexts” (P.I.: Dr. Amina Abubakar Ali, Tilburg University, Netherlands;
Co-P.I.: Prof. Dr. Fons J. R. Van de Vijver, Tilburg University, Netherlands, North-West University, South Africa, &
University of Queensland, Australia); 2012-2014
Principal Investigator of the project “School climate effects on interethnic relations and school adjustment of
immigrant students” (Co-P.I.s: Prof. Dr. Peter Noack, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany; Prof. Dr. Fons J.
R. Van de Vijver, Tilburg University, Netherlands, North-West University, South Africa, & University of Queensland,
Australia); 2009-2014
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Honours, awards and scholarships:
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Travel grant of the Sachverständigenrat Deutscher Stiftungen für Migration und Integration [Council of German
Foundations on Migration and Integration] for the fall academy “Acculturation and Education” in Berlin, Germany,
October 2014
Travel grant of the FAZIT foundation of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (one of the biggest newspapers in
Germany) to attend the biennial meeting of the German Psychological Association (DGPs) in Bochum, Germany,
September 2014
Best poster award (2nd place) by the Jacobs foundation awarded at the 2013 Biennial Meeting of the European
Association for Developmental Psychology (EADP) in Lausanne, Switzerland
Jacobs Foundation Fellowship for young scholars to attend the 2013 Biennial Meeting of the European Association
for Developmental Psychology (EADP) in Lausanne, Switzerland
Scholarships by the federal program “ProExzellenz” of the Free State of Thuringia for research stays at the
University of Tilburg, NL, April 2011, September 2011 and April 2012
Scholarships by the “ProChance” fund at Friedrich Schiller University Jena for female young scholars awarded for
participation at the EARA conference in Cesme, Turkey, September 2014, the IACCP conference in Melbourne,
Australia, July 2010, and the International Essex Summer School on Social Science Data Analysis, Colchester,
UK, August 2009
“Peter Caws Price” for MSc thesis as the best dissertation at the faculty of Social Sciences at Brunel University,
London, UK, June 2009
Doctoral fellowship by the federal program “Pro Exzellenz” of the Free State of Thuringia from 04/2009 - 03/2013
Affiliations:
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International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP)
European Association of Developmental Psychology (EADP)
European Association for Research on Adolescents (EARA)
German Psychological Association (DGPS)
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Qualifications:
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“Basic qualification in teaching in higher education”, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany, 09/2009 08/2010
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Excellent reviews for teaching and supervision by students and external examiners; several students presented
their work at international conferences, in some cases also leading to publications
Courses taught:
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Bachelor seminar “Counselling for school psychologists” as part of the Educational Psychology curriculum at
Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany, winter term 2014-2015
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Master seminar “Learning in context” as part of the Educational Psychology curriculum at Friedrich Schiller
University Jena, Germany, summer term 2014
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Bachelor seminar “School adjustment of immigrant students” as part of the Educational Psychology curriculum at
Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany, summer term 2014
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Bachelor seminar and working group “Introduction to intercultural communication” as part of the Cultural
Psychology curriculum at Tilburg University, the Netherlands, summer term 2013
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Bachelor seminar „Acculturation and intergroup relations in the context of multiethnic schools“ as part of the
Educational Psychology curriculum at Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany, summer term 2010, winter
term 2011/2012 and summer term 2012
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Supervision:
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Josephine Gutzmann (2015): Associations between school climate perceptions by teachers, immigrant students
and national mainstream students. MA Psychology thesis at FSU Jena. Co-supervised by Prof. Dr. Peter Noack.
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Jan Zoellick (2013): Teachers’ perceived intercultural competence and intercultural behavior in the context of
ethnically heterogeneous schools. BA Psychology thesis at FSU Jena. Co-supervised by Prof. Dr. Peter Noack.
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Lena Sendzik (2013): Schulklima und interkulturell kompetentes Lehrerverhalten - Akkulturation der ethnischen
Mehrheit im Kontext Schule [School climate and interculturally competent teacher behaviour – Acculturation of
ethnic majority members in the school context]. BA Psychology thesis at FSU Jena. Co-supervised by Prof. Dr.
Peter Noack.
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Alexandra Lebede (2013): Leitbild, Schulklima und interkulturelle Arbeit an multikulturellen Schulen [School
concept, climate and intercultural working at multicultural schools]. BA Psychology thesis at FSU Jena. Cosupervised by Prof. Dr. Peter Noack.
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Anna Handrick (2013): Herausforderung multikulturelle Schule. Eine qualitative Untersuchung zum Umgang mit
kultureller Vielfalt an 22 weiterführenden Schulen in Baden-Württemberg [Challenge multicultural school. A
qualitative analysis of ways of dealing with cultural diversity at 22 secondary schools in Baden-Württemberg]. BA
Psychology thesis at FSU Jena. Co-supervised by Prof. Dr. Peter Noack.
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Mirjam Hermann (2011): „Ich bin eigentlich anders“ - Wie Schülerinnen und Schüler mit Migrationshintergrund ihre
ethnische Identität konstruieren [„Actually I am different“ – How immigrant students construct their ethnic
identities]. BA Psychology thesis at FSU Jena. Co-supervised by Prof. Dr. Peter Noack.
OTHER ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES
Representative functions:
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Deputy representative of the young scholar group of the Educational Psychology branch of the German
Psychological Association (DGPS), since November 2013
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Board member and national representative Germany of the Early Researchers’ Union of the European Association
of Developmental Psychology (EADP), since September 2013
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Representative of the doctoral fellows at the Graduate School for Human Behaviour in Social and Economic
Change (GSBC), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany, 02/2010 - 03/2013
Workshop participation:
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“Acculturation and Education”, fall academy of the Sachverständigenrat Deutscher Stiftungen für Migration und
Integration [Council of German Foundations on Migration and Integration], Berlin, Germany, October 2014.
“Contextualising Acculturation: Multilevel and Multigroup Perspectives” (workshop leaders: Karen Phalet, Gülseli
Baysu); summer school of the International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Reims, France, July 2014.
“Testing for Measurement Equivalence Across Groups: Basic Concepts and Applications” (workshopleader:
Barbara Byrne); International Congress of Applied Psychology in Melbourne, Australia, July 2010.
“Consultation Seminar” (workshop leaders: Adam Rutland, Richard Crisp); International Graduate College Conflict
and Cooperation Between Social Groups (IGC) at the University of Kent, Canterbury, UK, October 2009.
“Advanced Structural Equation Modelling using MPlus” (workshop leaders: Elmar Schlüter and Oliver Christ);
International Essex Summer School on Social Science Data Analysis, Colchester, UK, August 2009.
Various courses on topics like grant-proposal writing, academic writing, project and data management, scientific
presentations, and career development; Graduate Academy, Jena, Germany, since April 2009.
Ad-Hoc Reviews:
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Education Research International
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Child Development
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EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Volunteer work:
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Initiatives of Change International, London, UK, and Caux, Switzerland (volunteer, conference intern and workshop
leader during the Annual Youth Forum in Accra, Ghana, 2004-2008)
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German Association for the Protection of Children (phone counsellor, 2003 - 2004)
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German Red Cross, Böblingen, Germany (youth group leader and on-call emergency service, 1996 - 2002)
Professional qualifications:
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Intercultural mediator, Interculture.ev, Jena, Germany, 11/2012 - 03/2014
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Trainer for intercultural competence, Interculture.ev, Jena, Germany, September 2011 - August 2012
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Support worker learning disabilities, National Open College Network, U.K., 05/2005 - 03/2006
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Phone counsellor with communication therapy for children and adolescents, Meta-Institute of Communication
Training, Halle, Germany, 11/2003 - 04/2004
SKILLS
Languages: German (native); English (fluent); French (fluent).
I/T: MS Office; statistics packages for windows (SPSS, AMOS, HLM, MPlus); SAP; TYPO-3; Cardiff Teleform.
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