Comparative Media, Transmedia Narratology, Media Theory, Intermediality
Popular Culture (esp. film, comics, computer games)
19th to 21st Century Literature, esp. history of Themes and Motifs
Associations & Research Groups
Chair of Steering Committee, International Conference Series Games & Literary Theory, 2018–
Functions in the International Comparative Literature Association
Chairperson of the Research Committee on Literature in the Digital Age, 2010-2015 (member since 2008)
Treasurer for Europe and Africa, 2013–2016
Member of the committee on Future Development, 2011-2013
Member of the committee for Early Career Support, 2015-2016
Member of the committee for Communication, 2015-2016
Founding Member of the German Association for Comic Studies (ComFor e.V.)
Founding Member of the GfM (German Association for Media Studies) Research Group Comic Studies
Auditor for 2011–2014, German Comparative Literature Association
Reviewer for Diegesis, Games and Culture, Game Studies, Literary and Linguistic Computing, Neohelicon, Revista de Filología Alemana
Review Committee member for ICLA 2013, DiGRA 2015, CEEGS 2015, Philosophy of Games 2015
Congress/Workshop/Panel Organization
Co-Organizer (with Espen Aarseth, Joleen Blom, Michael Debus, Ida Jørgensen, Thi Nguyen, Rune Nielsen) Games Triple Conference, ITU Copenhagen, August 13-17, 2018
Program Chair, Games & Literary Theory, August 15-17, 2018
Track Chair Theory Section, CEEGS 2016
(Co-Organizer) Symposium “Zur Ästhetik des Gemachten in Animation und Comic” [Aesthetics of ‘Made-ness’ in animation and comic], German Association for Media Studies (GfM), Nov. 9 – 11, 2016, Schloss Herrenhausen, Hannover, Germany
Conference Panel “Towards a Definition of Meta-Games,” DiGRA/FDG 2016, Abertay University, Dundee, Scotland
Conference Panel “Do you speak digital? The Past, Present, and Future of Electronic Literatures,” ICLA World Congress 2016, University of Vienna, Austria
Workshop “Meta-Games and Meta-Gaming,” DiGRA 2015, Leuphana University, Lüneburg, Germany
Workshop “Comicforschung trifft Medienwissenschaft“ [Comic studies meets media studies], April 25-26, 2014, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.
Panel “Comparative Approaches To Digital Literature,” XXth ICLA World Congress, July 18 – 24, 2013, Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris, France
(With Monika Schmitz-Emans): Organization of the German Research Foundation’s (DFG) First Comparatist Symposium “Literature as a Risk,“ Oct. 3 – 7, 2011, Villa Vigoni, Loveno, Italy
Panel “Digital Narrative 2.0. Aesthetics and criticism beyond literature,” XIXth ICLA World Congress, August 15 – 21, 2010, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea
Institutional Services
Reviewer for Diegesis, Games and Culture, Game Studies, Literary and Linguistic Computing, Neohelicon, Revista de Filología Alemana
Conference Reviewer for ICLA 2013, DiGRA (2015–2018), CEEGS (2015–2018), Philosophy of Games (2015–2018), Games & Literary Theory (2013–2017), FDG (2018)
Reviewer for Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Council), Estonian Research Council, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, Cusanuswerk, Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, Evangelisches Studienwerk Villigst, Friedrich Naumann Stiftung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum
University Bodies
Guest Member, Subject Area Team Games (ITU)
Organizer, Game Lecture Series 2016 (ITU)
Internal Member on a Board of Appeals (2016)
Expert Respondent, teachIT Project and Thesis Supervision course (ITU)
Member of Professoral Hiring Committee (“Berufungskommission,” Ruhr-Universität Bochum)
Awards and Grants
Co-Recipient EU-OPSTART grant (DKK 75.000) for “Play European”
Co-Recipient, Symposium “Zur Ästhetik des Gemachten in Animation und Comic.” Funding by Volkswagenstiftung, 27.000 €
Federal PhD-Grant (Cusanuswerk), 2004-2006
Anna Balakian Memorial Award of the International Comparative Literature Association for the best first book of a young scholar between 2007 and 2010
Invited as Visiting PostDoc to IT University Copenhagen (Februar – September 2013)
