Prof. Dr. Stefan Thomas

Research Professor of Social Research Methods and Social Work

Committees & Offices

Deputy Chairman of the Examination Board

Unit

Department of Social and Educational Sciences

Institute for Applied Research Urban Futures (IaF)

stefan.thomas@fh-potsdam.de

Phone

+49 331 580-4119

Location

House 5

Room

125b

Weblinks

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5303-9457

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stefan-Thomas-3

Office hours

During the research semester, please contact by e-mail (see above)

Research focus

Grants

2024 Federal Ministry of Education and Research: ‘PowerMii: Empowerment Research Groups for Girls with Migration Background for Empowering Biographies in Vocational Schools in Rural Areas’ in cooperation with the University of Siegen, Berufskolleg Siegen and Internationaler Bund. PI with a total volume of 1,104,000 euros, PL FH Potsdam: 482,000 euros (Nov 2024-Okt 2027)

2022 Federal Ministry of Education and Research: Second funding round of the ‘Innovative University’ funding initiative in cooperation with Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences and Potsdam University of Applied Sciences. Total volume 15 million euros, PL for the start project ‘Strengthening Civil Society: Sustainability and Citizen Science’: around 300,000 euros (March 2023-Dec 2028)

2021 Federal Ministry of Education and Research: ‘The Rural Educational Environments of Young Refugees in VET’(laeneAs) in cooperation with the Catholic University of Eichstätt. PI with a total volume of 713,000 euros, PL FH Potsdam: 442,000 euros (Oct 2021-Dec 2024)

2020 European Commission - Horizon 2020: ‘CoAct! Codesigning Citizen Social Science for Collective Action’ in a total project volume of 2.05 million euros led by the University of Barcelona together with the University of Vienna, Universidad Nacional de General San Martín (Argentina), Global Innovation Gathering, Open Knowledge International (UK) etc. PL of the sub-project ‘Methodological Toolkit for Citizen Social Science’ and the Research Action ‘Gender Equalities in Berlin’: 281,740 euros (Jan 2020-Dec 2022), EU Horizon 2020, 873048.

2019 Federal Ministry of Education and Research: ‘The Future(s) of Democracy: Communities of Solidarity in the Age of Populism in Europe’. Boost funding for the preparation of an application in the EU Horizon 2020 funding line in the amount of 11,600 euros (Feb 2019-Apr 2019)

2018 Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the State of Brandenburg: ‘Unaccompanied minor refugees’ in the amount of 55,550 euros (Sep 2018-Dec 2018)

2017 Federal Ministry of Education and Research: Funding of a research symposium in the ‘Framework Programme for the Promotion of Empirical Educational Research’ for educational scientists for 26,300 euros together with Prof. Frauke Hildebrandt (May 2017-Feb 2018)

2017 Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the State of Brandenburg: ‘Needs Analysis of Specialists in Inpatient Family-Analogue Educational Support Services’ in the State of Brandenburg (Apr 2017-Jan 2018, 46,500 euros)

2016 Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the State of Brandenburg: ‘Evaluation Study on the Situation and Care of Unaccompanied Refugee Minors’ in the amount of 153,300 euros (Nov 2016-Dec 2017)

2016 Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the State of Brandenburg: ‘Preliminary Study on Biographies of Unaccompanied Minor Refugees’. 19,500 euros (April 2016-Aug 2016)

2016 Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth: ‘EQUIP Development of Quality and Interaction in Everyday Pedagogical Life’: PL for Module 1c: Children's Perspective in the Quality Development of Kitas (125,000 euros). Total project volume 1 million euros, May 2016-Dec 2019, PI: Prof. Frauke Hildebrandt,

2015 Federal Ministry of Education and Research: ‘Multigenerational Housing: Community and Intergenerational Transfer for a Self-Determined Life in Old Age’ (April 2016-April 2019, 359,600 euros)

CV

Academic Positions

since 2020 Potsdam University of Applied Sciences: Research Professor at the Institute for Applied Research Urban Future

since 2012 Potsdam University of Applied Sciences: Professor of Social Research Methods and Social Work

2024 Portland State University: Visiting Scholar at the School of Social Work

2015-2017 Sigmund Freud University Vienna: Guest lecturer for research methods

2014 Parental leave

2012-2013 University of California, Berkeley: Visiting Scholar at the Center for Urban Ethnography

2012 Parental leave

2010-2012 Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences Berlin: Visiting Professor of Qualitative Research Methods (deputising for Prof. Dr Uwe Flick)

2010 Leuphana University Lüneburg: Lecturer for research methods in the Master's programme Prevention and Health Promotion

2009-2010 Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences Berlin: Visiting lecturer for qualitative research methods and theories and methods of social work

2008-2011 Freie Universität Berlin: Lecturer for research methods in the European Master in Children's Rights programme

2008 Part-time parental leave

2005-2009 Alice-Salomon-Hochschule Berlin: Lecturer for research methods, scientific work and theories and methods of social work

2004-2005 University of California, San Diego: Visiting Scholar at the Department of Sociology with Aaron Cicourel and Hugh Mehan

Education

2009 Dr phil. at the Free University of Berlin (summa cum laude)

1999 Diploma in Psychology at the Free University of Berlin (grade: 1.3)

Academic Services

2021 Peer reviewer of the doctoral programme for applied social and educational sciences at Fulda University of Applied Sciences for the Hessian Ministry of Science

2020 Peer reviewer as ‘Invited Expert’ for the EU call ‘H2020-Swafs-2020-1’

Since 2017 Liaison lecturer of the Hans Böckler Foundation

2018-2019 Accreditation of the Master's programme Childhood Studies and Children's Rights

2016-2021 Head of degree programme Master Childhood Studies and Children's Rights

2015 Chair of the Appointments Committee ‘Psychology with special consideration of social work with families, children and adolescents’

2015-2023 (Deputy) Chair of the Examination Board

2015 Chair of the Appointments Committee ‘Theory and Practice of Social Work in the Field of Child and Youth Welfare’

2014-2019 Member of the faculty council

2014 Chair of the appointments committee ‘Social work with children, young people and families with a focus on new media’

Professional Experiences

1998-2003 Treberhilfe Berlin e.V.: Outreach social work services and homes for social crisis intervention in young adults

1997-1998 ‘Gimme Shelter’ (Berlin): Social work assistant in a housing project for young adults

1996-1997 ‘Misfit’ (Berlin): Internship in a drug counselling centre

Lectures and exhibitions

Please see the German page.

Publications at FHP from 2018 onwards (according to core data set for research)

2026

Annette Korntheuer, Arne Böker, Judith Bucher, Stefan Thomas. Barrieren in den Bildungsumwelten junger Auszubildender mit Fluchterfahrung. 257-2812026.
Arne Böker, Annette Korntheuer, Judith Bucher, Stefan Thomas. Dimensionen einer vielfältigen Fluchtforschung: Diversität, Intersektionalität und heterogene Ankunftskontexte. 2026.
Annette Korntheuer, Arne Böker, Judith Bucher, Stefan Thomas. Themen, Ansätze und Methoden einer diversen Flucht*Migrationsforschung: Zur Einführung. 7-182026.

2024

Annette Korntheuer, Judith Bucher, Christina Brandl, Stefan Thomas, Pauline Albrecht. Praktiker*innenhandbuch: Gute Praxis für eine gelingende Berufsausbildung geflüchteter Menschen. 2024.
Stefan Thomas, Pauline Albrecht, Annette Korntheuer, Judith Bucher. Researching educational barriers in participatory real-world labs: vocational training of refugees in rural counties in Germany. Frontiers in Education1-182024.

2022

Annette Korntheuer, Stefan Thomas. Participation of refugee youth in Germany’s VET system: Real-world labs as opportunities for co-constructive knowledge production and innovative practice transformation. 25-342022.

2021

Stefan Thomas, David Scheller, Susan Schröder. Co-creation in citizen social science: the research forum as a methodological foundation for communication and participation. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications1-112021.
Joseph Rothmaler, Stefan Thomas, Frauke Hildebrandt, Rebecca Budde, Stephanie Pigorsch. Partizipation als Gegenstand und Methode der Bildungsforschung: Zur Einführung. 7-132021.
Stefan Thomas, Joseph Rothmaler, Frauke Hildebrandt, Rebecca Budde, Stephanie Pigorsch. Partizipation in der Bildungsforschung. 2021.
Stefan Thomas. Partizipative Forschung mit Kindern und Jugendlichen: Ein methodischer Überblick. 16-662021.
Stefan Thomas. Partizipatives Peer-Research mit Jugendlichen: Methodeninnovationen und Entwicklungsimpulse. 37-542021.
Stefan Thomas. Wahrheit und Vernunft: Das Research Forum als methodologischer Rahmen partizipativer Forschung. 41-642021.

2020

David Scheller, Stefan Thomas, Andrea Arnold, Kersi Ruth Wissenbach, Thomas Hervé, Mboa Nkoudou, Anna Cigarini, Isabelle Bonhoure, Josep Perelló, Katja Mayer, Barbara Kieslinger, Teresa Schäfer, Stefanie Schürz, Veronika Wöhrer, Teresa Wintersteller, Mariam Malik, Cedric Lombion, Lilly Winfree, Valeria Arza, Bàrbara Mitats, Pia Marchegiani, María Jesús San Pío. CoActD2.1: Report on State of the Art of Citizen Social Science. 2020.
Stefan Thomas. Ethnografie. 293-3132020.
Kim Mortega, Xavier Basagaña, Aletta Bonn, Marie Delannoy, Claudia Fabó Cartas, Dilek Fraisl, Jörg Freyhof, Claudia Göbel, Gerid Hager, Susanne Hecker, Justus Henke, Susann Hippler, Barbara Kieslinger, Jörn Knoblock, Gitte Kragh, Martina Lutz, Sylvi Mauermeister, Nicola Moczek, Ina Opitz, Anett Richter, Valeria Righi, David Scheller, Jacob Sherson, Nike Sommerwerk, Stefan Thomas, Colombe Warin, Uta Wehn, Maike Weißpflug, Silke Voigt-Heucke. Knowledge for Change: A Decade of Citizen Science (2020–2030) in Support of the SDGs. 2020.
Stefan Thomas, Joseph Rothmaler, Frauke Hildebrandt, Rebecca Budde, Stephanie Pigorsch. Partizipation in der Bildungsforschung. 2020.
Jarg Bergold, Stefan Thomas. Partizipative Forschung. 113-1312020.

2019

Stefan Thomas, Susan Schröder, David Scheller. Citizen Social Science: Das Research Forum als partizipative Forschungsmethodik. 103-1152019.
Stefan Thomas. Ethnografie: Eine Einführung. 2019.
Stefan Thomas, David Scheller, Tanja Ehmann, Susan Schröder. Mehrgenerationenwohnen: Ein Leitfaden für Gemeinschaft und solidarisches Zusammenleben. 1-482019.
Madeleine Sauer, Stefan Thomas, Ingmar Zalewki. Potentiale und Fallstricke von Peer-Research im Rahmen partizipativer Forschung mit unbegleiteten minderjährigen Geflüchteten. 222-2652019.
Shahin Mohammed, Harun Muhammed, Ingmar Zalewski, Stefan Thomas. Zur Partizipation von geflüchteten Jugendlichen im Peer-Forschungsprojekt "Neu in Deutschland": ein Multilog zwischen Berufs- und Co-Forschenden. 185-1952019.

2018

Stefan Thomas, Madeleine Sauer, Ingmar Zalewski. Unbegleitete minderjährige Geflüchtete: Ihre Lebenssituation und Perspektiven in Deutschland. 2018.

Additional publications

Please see the German page.

Selected projects

CoAct – Co-designing Citizen Social Science for Collective Action

The EU research project "CoAct" pursues an innovative approach to participatory citizen research. The focus is on the further development of a Citizen Social Science (CSS) and its research methods. CoAct is funded by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 program under the call "SwafS-15-2018-2019 - Exploring and supporting citizen science"