Prof. Dr. Simone Abels

21335 Lüneburg, Universitätsallee 1, C13.301
Fon +49.4131.677-2919, simone.abels@leuphana.de
Professor*in, Professorship of Natural Science Education
Assoziierte/r, School of Education

Table of contents for this page

Vita

Prof. Dr. Simone Abels is Professor of Science Education at the Institute of Sustainable Chemistry (INSC). She is Vice President for Graduate School, Scientific Qualification and Teacher Education at Leuphana University Lüneburg. Her research interests lie particularly in the area of inclusive science education. Inquiry-based learning, reflective teacher professionalization and education for sustainable development are also among her research areas.

Professional background

  • since October 2025: scientific founding director of the Centre for Empirical Educational Research in Lower Saxony (ZEB)
  • since October 1st, 2024: Vice President for Graduate School, Scientific Qualification and Teacher Education at Leuphana
  • 12/2023-09/2024: Maternity and Parental Leave
  • since October 1st, 2020 Vice President for Graduate School, Scientific Qualification and Teacher Education at Leuphana University Lüneburg
  • 07/2018-03/2019: Maternity and Parental Leave
  • since 2017: Professor for Science Education at Leuphana University Lüneburg
  • 2016 until 2025: Founder and spokesperson of the Network for Inclusive Science Teaching (NinU)
  • 2016: Junior Professor for Science Education, focus on chemistry education, at Leuphana University Lüneburg
  • 2011-2016: University Assistant (Postdoc) at the Austrian Educational Competence Center Chemistry, University of Vienna, Austria
  • 2009-2011: Internship at special schools in Hamburg   
  • 2010: Disputation (summa cum laude)   
  • 2006-2009: Research Associate at the University of Hamburg, Department of Education in Chemistry Education. Title of the dissertation: "Teachers as 'Reflective Practitioner'. Reflection competence for a democracy-friendly science education"; awarded the prize for the promotion of junior scientists of the GDCP

Education

  • 2001-2006: Studies in educational science, deaf education, learning disability education and chemistry for teaching at special schools at the University of Hamburg
  • Additional subject: education for the hard of hearing
  • Title of the thesis: "Chemistry Learning in Chemistry Lessons at the Secondary Level I in Hearing Impaired Schools - a First Assessment", supervised by Prof. Dr. med. Claus Bolte in chemistry didactics

Memberships

 

 

Teaching

science education

Research Interests

Inclusive science education, inquiry-based science education, reflexive and video-based teacher professionalization, education for sustainable development

Projects

  1. Center for Empirical Educational Research in Lower Saxony
    Simone Abels (Project manager, academic) , Michael Besser (Project manager, academic) , (Project manager, academic) , (Project manager, academic) , Ramiro Glauer (Coordination)
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    Project: Research

  2. Wissenschaftsraum "Future Trends in Education. Schule transformieren durch Demokratiebildung und Bildung für Nachhaltige Entwicklung - Future.Ed"
    Marcus Pietsch (Project manager, academic) , Simone Abels (Project manager, academic) , (Project manager, academic) , (Project manager, academic) , (Project manager, academic) , (Project manager, academic) , Katharina Hartmann (Coordination) , Harald Hantke (Co-Projectmanager, academic) , Daniel Fischer (Co-Projectmanager, academic) , Claire Grauer (Partner) , Julia Perlinger (Project staff) , Timo Ehmke (Partner) , Marc Kleinknecht (Partner) , Katharina Neuber (Partner) , Hannes Paul Masurek (Project staff) , Luisa Kahlke (Project staff) , (Project staff) , (Project staff)
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    Project: Research

  3. Einsatz von Gamification am Beispiel von Artenschutzsensibilisierung
    Simone Abels (Project manager, academic) , Ann-Katrin Krebs (Project staff)
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    Project: Research

  4. Schülerlabore als Ort der Lehrkräftefortbildung in der digitalen Welt (BMBF)
    Simone Abels (Project manager, academic)
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    Project: Research

  5. Auf die Planung kommt es an (PlanFoL)
    Simone Abels (Project manager, academic) , (Project manager, academic)
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    Project: Research

View all projects

Publications

Books and anthologies

  1. Naturwissenschaftsdidaktik und Inklusion
    Simone Abels (Editor) , Sarah Hundertmark (Editor) , Xiaokang Sun (Editor) , Andreas Nehring (Editor) , Robin Schildknecht (Editor) , Vanessa Seremet (Editor) , Christian Lindmeier (Editor) , 2021 Weinheim, Basel , 282 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Special Journal issue › Education

  2. Polymere
    Simone Abels (Editor) , Anja Lembens (Editor) , 2016 1 ed. Wien , 60 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Special Journal issue › Education

  3. Science Education towards Inclusion
    Simone Abels (Editor) , Silvija Markic (Editor) , 2016 1 ed. New York City , 252 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Book › Research

  4. Sondernummer TEMI – Teaching Enquiry with Mysteries incorporated
    Simone Abels (Editor) , Anja Lembens (Editor) , 2015 Seeham-Salzburg , 44 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Special Journal issue › Education

  5. Diversität und Heterogenität: Naturwissenschaften im Unterricht Chemie
    Simone Abels (Editor) , Silvija Markic (Editor) , 2013 Seelze , 51 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Special Journal issue › Research

View all publications

Journal contributions

  1. Enhancing professional development in digital STEM education: cross-disciplinary success factors and barriers
    Mientje Lüsse (Author) , Larissa-Marie Stamer (Author) , Simone Abels (Author) , Maja Brückmann (Author) , Ronja Sowinski (Author) , 08.10.2025 , in: Frontiers in Psychology, 16 , 18 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  2. Context-based science education to promote diversity-equity-inclusion – a systematic literature review on the understanding of context in science education
    Katja Weirauch (Author) , Florian List (Author) , Jürgen Menthe (Author) , Simone Abels (Author) , Sybille Katrin Hüfner (Author) , 08.10.2025 , in: Studies in Science Education , p. 1-41 , 41 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  3. Alles nur ein Kampf?: Schüler:innenvorstellungen zu Aspekten der Immunreaktion
    Simone Abels (Author) , Ronja Sowinski (Author) , Elisabeth Hofer (Author) , 01.01.2025 , in: Zeitschrift für Didaktik der Biologie (ZDB) - Biologie Lehren und Lernen, 30, 1 , p. 25-48 , 24 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  4. LFB-Labs-digital: Schülerlabore als Ort der Lehrkräftefortbildung in der digitalen Welt: Ein Bericht zur Konzeption eines Verbundprojektes
    Simone Abels (Author) , Tim Kirchhoff (Author) , Stefanie Schwedler (Author) , Andreas Acher (Author) , Dario Anselmetti (Author) , Kris-Stephen Besa (Author) , Jonathan Biehl (Author) , Eva Blumberg (Author) , Andreas Breiter (Author) , Maja Brückmann (Author) , Doreen Büntemeyer (Author) , Mahdi El Tegani (Author) , Alex Engelhardt (Author) , Nobert Grotjohann (Author) , Celina Kiel (Author) , Michael Kleine (Author) , Rolf Koerber (Author) , Maike Lambrecht (Author) , Anna Lehmenkühler (Author) , David Meyer (Author) , Alina Mußhoff (Author) , Maren Panhorst (Author) , Colin Peperkorn (Author) , Kerstin Röllke (Author) , Jürgen Roth (Author) , Maria Sophie Schäfers (Author) , Henning Schüler (Author) , Lisa Stinken-Rösner (Author) , Sebastian Strauß (Author) , Janne Stricker (Author) , Katrin Temmen (Author) , Katja Tönsing (Author) , Dan Verständig (Author) , Claas Wegner (Author) , Nicole Wellensiek (Author) , Annkathrin Wenzel (Author) , Daniela Wördemann (Author) , Mathias Ziegler (Author) , Martin Heinrich (Author) , Matthias Wilde (Author) , 19.08.2024 , in: PFLB - Zeitschrift für Schul- und Professionsentwicklung, 6, 1 , p. 130-155 , 25 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Transfer › peer-review

  5. Metaphern zur Klärung biologischer Phänomene: Eine Analyse verschiedener fachwissenschaftlicher Datenquellen
    Simone Abels (Author) , Ronja Sowinski (Author) , Elisabeth Hofer (Author) , 17.06.2024 , in: Zeitschrift für Didaktik der Biologie (ZDB) - Biologie Lehren und Lernen, 28 , p. 56 - 75 , 20 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

View all publications

Contributions to collected editions/anthologies

  1. Inquiry-based learning as an approach to realize inclusive science education
    Simone Abels (Author) , Elisabeth Hofer (Author) , 29.05.2025 , p. 74-87 , 14 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research › peer-review

  2. Klimabildung für alle?!: Gemeinsames Lernen an naturwissenschaftlichen Kontexten zum Klimawandel
    Laura Ferreira González (Author) , Larissa Fühner (Author) , Jürgen Menthe (Author) , Simone Abels (Author) , 01.01.2025 Wiesbaden , p. 501-525 , 25 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research › peer-review

  3. One Fits Them All?: Metaphors in Multilingual Biology Classes
    Simone Abels (Author) , Ronja Sowinski (Author) , 01.09.2024 Oxford , p. 246-256 , 11 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Article in conference proceedings › Research › peer-review

  4. Perspektiven der Lernenden auf inklusiven NAWI-Unterricht
    Simone Abels (Author) , Timm Fuhrmann (Author) , 10.06.2024 Essen , p. 710 - 713 , 4 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Article in conference proceedings › Research

  5. Metaphern mehrsprachiger Schüler*innen zu abstrakten Phänomenen
    Simone Abels (Author) , Ronja Sowinski (Author) , 10.06.2024 Essen , p. 306 - 309 , 4 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Article in conference proceedings › Research

View all publications

Activities

  1. Wer scheitert hier eigentlich? Die Schüler*innen oder das Bildungssystem?
    Simone Abels (Speaker)

    Activity: talk or presentation in privat or public events › Transfer

  2. Diagnose barriers in objects rather than in people
    Simone Abels (Speaker)

    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

  3. Perspektiven von Schüler*innen zu Tippkarten im inklusiven Nawi-Unterricht
    Timm Fuhrmann (Speaker) , Simone Abels (Coauthor)

    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

  4. "MINT ist männlich" - Orientierungen von außerschulischen Lehrenden
    Janne Groß (Speaker) , Simone Abels (Coauthor)

    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

  5. Barriers in the Planning Phase of Open Inquiry-based Learning
    Simone Abels (Speaker) , Elisabeth Hofer (Speaker) , Oliver Schneide (Coauthor)

    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

View all activities

Press / Media

  1. Kein Bock auf Mathe: "Müssen Schüler abholen und begeistern"
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  2. Bildungsforscherin Abels: "Vom inklusiven Schulsystem noch weit entfernt"
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  3. Lebensmittelabfälle vermeiden, Klimabilanz verbessern
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  4. Die Natur der Naturwissenschaften
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  5. Lernwerkstatt als inklusiver Raum naturwissenschaftlichen Lernens: Antrittsvorlesung 2.0
    1 time cited

    Press/Media: Press/Media

View all press/media coverage

Prizes

  1. ESERA Travel Award
    Simone Abels (Recipient) ,

    Prize: external Prizes, scholarships, distinctions, appointments › Research

  2. GDCP-Preis zur Förderung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses in der Didaktik der Chemie und Physik in Würdigung der hervorragenden Promotionsleistung
    Simone Abels (Recipient) ,

    Prize: external Prizes, scholarships, distinctions, appointments › Research

  3. LehrerInnen als „Reflective Practitioner“. Reflexionskompetenz für einen demokratieförderlichen Naturwissenschaftsunterricht
    Simone Abels (Recipient) ,

    Prize: external Prizes, scholarships, distinctions, appointments › Research

View all prizes

Courses