International fellows bring expertise in future technologies to universities in Lower Saxony The Emerging Tech Fellowship has got off to a successful start
How are artificial intelligence, extended reality and other emerging technologies transforming universities? And how can research, teaching and knowledge transfer actively shape these developments? Through the Emerging Tech Fellowship, the Emerging Tech Lab – a joint project of the Hochschule.digital Niedersachsen initiative – is inviting four international and national experts for the first time in 2026 to work on these questions in collaboration with universities in Lower Saxony. Following the selection of four fellows and one honourable mention by an independent jury in February, the first two fellows successfully began their work in June.
For a period of one to three months, four independently selected fellows will work alongside universities in Lower Saxony on issues relating to emerging technologies – that is, technologies with the potential to bring about lasting change to the economy and society. The aim is to combine international expertise with local challenges, to inject innovative impetus into research and teaching, and to strengthen cross-university collaboration.
Four fellows and one Honourable Mention selected
Prof. Dr. Angela Ittel, President of TU Braunschweig, with Dr. Christiaan Maasdorp, Emerging Tech Fellow. Photo credits: Kimberly Sölter/TU Braunschweig
The first call for applications attracted numerous submissions from both Germany and abroad. An interdisciplinary panel of judges selected four fellows and awarded one Honourable Mention. Criteria for assessment included the applicants’ academic and practical expertise, the innovative nature of their projects, and their potential to generate a lasting impact on the higher education landscape in Lower Saxony.
The fellows will now work alongside their hosts at their respective host institutions on various topics relating to emerging technologies. The Emerging Tech Lab acts as the central organisational and communication hub for this initiative.
The four fellows in the first Emerging Tech Fellowship cohort are:
- Christiaan Maasdorp, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Host: Prof. Dr. Wolf-Tilo Balke, TU Braunschweig - Paulina Tarara, Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Katowice, Poland
Host: Prof. Dr. Julius Schöning, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences - Victor Sardenberg, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Brazil
Host: Prof. Dr. Ricardo Usbeck, Leuphana University Lüneburg - Miriam Mulders, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
Host: Prof. Dr. Alexander Büssing, Technical University of Braunschweig
An Honourable Mention was awarded to Adriane Pelikan (Lund University, host: Prof. Dr. Tobias Thelen, University of Osnabrück) for the particularly innovative approach of the fellowship proposal submitted.
Universities as testing grounds for future technologies
The Fellowship programme views universities as places where new technologies are not only researched, but also tested and critically examined in collaboration with students, lecturers and other key university stakeholders. During their stay, the fellows, together with their hosts, organise workshops and public events across Lower Saxony, and connect different communities both within and outside the universities.
Launch of the Fellowship Programme
Dr. Miriam Mulders. Photo credits: Prof. Dr. Alexander Büssing/TU Braunschweig
The first two fellows, Dr. Christian Maasdorp and Paulina Tarara, began their projects back in June. By the end of November, all fellows will have commenced their placements at their respective universities and implemented their projects in collaboration with their hosts. Accompanying exchange formats and public events provide an opportunity to showcase and discuss the results across universities and throughout Lower Saxony.
In the long term, the Emerging Tech Fellowship aims to build an international network of researchers, practitioners and innovators that opens up new perspectives on the use of emerging technologies in a higher education context and strengthens the exchange of knowledge between Lower Saxony and international partner institutions.
Project details
The EmTech Fellowship is coordinated by the Emerging Tech Lab and forms part of the ‘Digital Teaching Hub Lower Saxony’ (DLHN). Project partners include TU Braunschweig, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, the University of Hildesheim, the Georg Eckert Institute and the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft e.V..
The fellowship is aimed at international and national researchers and practitioners with proven expertise in emerging technologies within the higher education and educational context. The host institutions are universities in Lower Saxony, including TU Braunschweig, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, the University of Hildesheim and Leuphana University of Lüneburg. The fellows spend between one and three months at their respective host institutions, where they work alongside local partners on research, teaching, knowledge transfer and community building.