Bauhaus-Universität Weimar: Doctoral Council

The doctoral council Pro.Doc of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar has been actively advocating for the interests of doctoral candidates since 2021. In close cooperation with the university's various committees, we continuously bring the interests of doctoral candidates into university policy and represent our concerns not only within the university, but also outside of it.

Election & Representatives - congratulations!

In March 2025, the Doctoral Council was newly elected for the next two years (2025-2027). The members of the Pro.Doc give doctoral candidates a voice in the various university committees, for example in the Senate, the Faculty Councils, the BRS Board of Directors and other committees.

Here, the representatives briefly introduce themselves and you can see in which committees they will be active:

Pro.Doc Mitglieder 2025-2027

Gustavo Cosenza - Speaker

»I would like to actively represent our interests as doctoral candidates and researchers both at the university and on other committees. In recent years, I have been working intensively on the topic of “BIM-based structural design” of engineering structures. With my scientific work, I would like to make a concrete contribution to the development of a BIM-based inspection procedure.«

Senate
Committee for Research and Projects
Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering
BRS Scholarship Awarding Committee

Pedro Romero - Deputy Speaker

[Translate to English:] Pedro Romero (Fotografin: Katherin Gutierrez)

»I am a Civil Engineer and I have a Master's Degree in Management Engineering. For many years I have worked for some universities in my country (Colombia). I have participated in research projects and published papers on issues related to the quality of urban life. Because of this, today I am here at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar developing my doctoral research at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism.

May aims for the Doctoral Council:

As a Doctoral Candidate and a foreigner in Germany, I can understand many of the challenging situations that we have to face as young researchers. I want to be a voice of the doctoral candidates in front of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, to support the researchers and transmit our doubts, needs and new ideas to the institution. My purpose is to serve and help build an optimal environment for the success of doctoral candidates in the development of their research project. I have always shown great interest in serving my colleagues. My main motivation is to be a guide for other doctoral candidates during their journey through their research. Through a clear and open dialogue, be a spokesperson for the ideas that young researchers have to contribute to the University. I believe that together we can build a great support network and in this way guarantee the academic success of all.

Personally, this experience would mean a way to know how the decision-making groups of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar work, additionally to better understand the German work culture.«

Deputy: Senate
Committee for Planning and Budget
BRS Directorate
BRS Workplace Allocation
Bauhaus4EU

Vaclav-Karel Harsa

»As a member of the PhD Council, I want to strengthen and visibly represent the democratic structures of university life, address the interests, wishes, and concerns within the committees of the Bauhaus-Universität, and foster a vibrant sense of community.«

Study Commission K+G
PhD Graduation Commission K+G ( Deputy)
Federal Association of Doctoral Candidates

Tilman Levine

»I want to contribute to a supportive scientific environment, foster a strong research community and: manage the ups and downs together.«

Faculty Council Architecture and Urban Studies
BRS Board of Directors ( Deputy)
BRS Workplace Allocation ( Deputy)

Maxi-Josephine Rauch

»I am happy to be part of the Doctoral Council because I want to actively promote the interests of doctoral students and contribute to improving the framework conditions.

Stronger networking and support within the doctoral community is particularly important to me.«

Diversity Council
Equal Opportunities Council
Committee for Research and Projects ( Deputy)
Media Faculty Council ( Deputy)
Committee for Ethics and Quality in Academic Artistic Practice ( Deputy)

Lisa Rein

"For me, the doctoral council (Pro.Doc) is an important alliance that can advocate for better working conditions of all doctoral students at BUW and help against the experience of isolation and separation while pursuing a PhD."

Faculty Council Media
Association of Central German Doctoral Candidate Councils (VMPV)

Elisa Rufenach-Ruthenberg

»I would like to strengthen the voice of young academics in the field of art and design, an moreover art and its didactics, which is often neglected in university development.«

Committee for Studies and Teaching
Dr.phil. Graduation Commission K+G
Commission for Ethics and Quality in Academic Artistic Practice
Equal Opportunities Council ( Deputy)

Mikhail Tolmachev

»I decided to become part of ProDoc because I want to help build a more open, supportive, and intellectually stimulating environment for artistic research. As an international PhD candidate, I find it important to advocate for greater interdisciplinary dialogue and to address the needs of researchers navigating diverse academic and cultural contexts.«

Faculty Council Art and Design
PhD Graduation Commission K+G
Study Commission K+G (Deputy)

Proxy Member - Eleftherios Krysalis

»I decided to participate in the ProDoc election for the first time because I wanted to help strengthen the international network of doctoral students at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and explore ways to improve research and working conditions.«

WHAT IS THE PRO.DOC?

One of our central goals is to create a stronger voice for the concerns of doctoral candidates at university policy level in order to make recommendations on all matters that affect doctoral candidates and thus improve the conditions for doctoral research at our university in the long term. In addition, we network regionally in the Association of Central German Doctoral Candidate Representations (VMPV) and nationally in the Federal Association of Doctoral Candidates (Bundesverband Promovierende) in order to exchange ideas, support each other and further advance our common interests.

The tasks of the Pro.Doc include not only regular participation in committee meetings, but also the provision of information for all doctoral candidates. The Moodle course ‘Promovierendenschaft | PhD student body’ publishes the most important results of the committee meetings. In addition, the course offers a platform for exchange among doctoral students and provides information on who represents their interests in the respective committees.

At least once a year, the Pro.Doc convenes a general assembly to which the entire doctoral candidate community is invited. There we report on our current topics and progress and would like to discuss your concerns with you to organise our next steps accordingly.

Doctoral candidates who would like to get actively involved or discuss their concerns with the Pro.Doc are welcome to contact the representatives or contact us directly by email at doctoral-council[at]uni-weimar.de.

>>> statutes of the doctoral council