International collaboration in Educational Sciences: Interview with Humboldt Fellow Sedat Gümüş

Congratulations on receiving the Bessel Award and welcome to Lüneburg. Could you tell us about your research connection to Leuphana and your first weeks here?

Thank you very much. Receiving this award is a great honour and I am excited about the opportunity to further collaborate with Marcus Pietsch. We have been cooperating for the past five years, and we want to expand our joint research during my visit. I have already met his research team at Leuphana working on computer simulations for leadership preparation. This is one of my current areas of interest. We discussed how we could enhance existing virtual computer simulations for principal training. Moreover, I met one of Marcus’ postdocs, Nurullah Eryılmaz, at the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) in Hamburg. We explored the possibility of using the “International Computer and Information Literacy Study” in our joint research.

That sounds like very productive first weeks. And you have already planned further research stays at Leuphana, correct?

Yes, we have planned three stays with a total amount of six months over the course of three years. For my first stay, we arranged that I meet the team to exchange ideas and explore collaboration opportunities. When I return next year, we expect to already have some outcomes on the basis we are building right now. For my second stay, I am also planning to give lectures and offer courses for Leuphana students. And I would like to bring my wife and son next time. I am already sharing a lot of pictures with my family.

What is your impression of Lüneburg?

I have to say it is beyond my expectations. When I arrived and walked through the city centre, I was very impressed by the unique architecture. I genuinely like historical places like this. Also, I appreciate that there is a pedestrian zone where you find all kinds of shops, restaurants and cafés. It is nice to be able to sit outside on the terrasses, bring the laptop and work in this beautiful surrounding. Lüneburg has a lot to offer. The public transportation works well, too. You can easily make your way to the campus, the city centre or to Hamburg, where I visited one evening. The train connection is very convenient. For example, I flew in from Hong Kong and landed at the Hamburg airport. And I went to Berlin for the Humboldt Award ceremony. On both occasions I used the train and found it easy to get around Germany to and from here.

How was the Humboldt award ceremony in Berlin?

It was a very exciting experience. The Humboldt foundation arranged a two-day programme. On the first day, the annual meeting and the opening ceremony took place. I met many colleagues from around the world who also received Humboldt awards and fellowships. On the second day there was a reception hosted by the federal president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and we had the opportunity to meet him personally. After that, we had an award ceremony for around twenty award winners. It was an honour to be amongst them.

Thank you very much and have a great time here at Leuphana.

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation presents the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Awards to internationally renowned researcher from abroad in recognition of their outstanding accomplishments. The award is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, now BMFTR) and enables the recipients to conduct research at an institution in Germany in cooperation with researchers there. The associate professor at the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership of the EdUHK, Sedat Gümüş, received the award on the recommendation of Leuphana professor Marcus Pietsch.