News

The IAS is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Malick Faye as the new Scientific Coordinator. Dr Faye has taken up his new position on 01.06.2024 and brings a wealth of experience and expertise. As Scientific Coordinator, Dr Faye will be responsible for managing the day-to-day business of the IAS and implementing the decisions of the Steering Committee together with the Director  Prof Dr Gabriele Sommer, and the Vice Director Prof Dr Stefan Ouma.

About Dr Malick Faye

Dr Malick Faye has been a valued member of the scientific community for many years and has an impressive academic and professional career. He obtained his PhD in Social Sciences at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, after having completed a Master's degree in Ethnology and Agricultural Sciences at the Georg-August University of Göttingen and a Diplôme Universitaire d'Études en Lettres II in Philosophy at the Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar.

Dr Faye has held numerous academic and professional positions that make him ideally qualified for his new role. He was a lecturer at the International University (IU) in Bremen and a lecturer at the Carl von Ossietzky University in Oldenburg. He has also worked as an academic assistant at Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen and at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. He also worked as a freelance expert for the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Dr Faye is an active researcher and has published numerous scientific papers. His research interests include collective action, self-management of natural resources (drinking water) in agropastoral societies, social structure analysis, (sub)group relations, sub-Saharan Africa, social network analysis, and diaspora studies.

Dr Faye has presented his research findings at international conferences and workshops. His teaching specialisms include methods of empirical social research, quantitative data analysis and qualitative content analysis. As founder and former managing director of Faye PHD GmbH, Dr Faye has gained valuable entrepreneurial experience. His expertise extends to areas such as collective action, self-management of natural resources, social structure analysis, social network analysis, qualitative content analysis, ethnography, statistical analysis and empirical social research.

We look forward to a successful collaboration with Dr Malick Faye and are convinced that he will continue to advance the Institute of African Studies with his extensive knowledge and experience.

Our sincere thanks go to Dr Jane Ayeko-Kümmeth, the outgoing academic coordinator, for her dedicated work and valuable contributions that have so fruitfully shaped the work of the Institute over the past two years. During her time in office, Dr Ayeko-Kümmeth initiated numerous fruitful projects, which were aimed in particular at communicating with the general public and exchanging information about the IAS's research findings in order to contribute to a historically differentiated understanding of our world.