Sustaining Lifelong Global Connections for Knowledge

I spent my time as a Humboldt and Calder Fellow collecting and collating the second-century “Acts of Thekla” in the Syriac language. During my time in Germany, I collected thirteen manuscripts—nine of which had never been edited—and compared and translated them for a critical edition and study of the Syriac version of the Acts of Thekla. I have since submitted a complete draft of my upcoming book, Thekla in Syriac: The Acts of Thekla and Its Reception in the Syriac Traditions, which will appear in the “Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum” series at Mohr Siebeck (Tübingen). The funding I received via the William M. Calder III Memorial Fellowship in Classical Studies allowed me to purchase images of manuscripts from the “Scriptorium Syriacum” repository under the protection and preservation of the Chaldean Catholic Order of Ḥormizd in Erbil, Iraq, and enabled me to bring my wife Sarah and our two daughters Kora and Maryn to Germany with me. I firmly believe that integrating familial support into academic research is vital to success. I am grateful to the Humboldt Foundation and to the memory of Professor Calder and hope to continue his legacy of strong academic scholarship in Classics and Ancient History through my work. 

In honor of July’s International Day of Friendship, German Chancellor Fellow Rocío Guenther discusses the many international friendships she has forged through her Humboldt experience:

“My journey as a German Chancellor Fellow has been transformative. The opportunity to live and work in Germany for a year, immersed in its rich culture and dynamic academic environment, has been a cornerstone of my professional and personal growth. One of the most rewarding aspects of my time in Germany has been the friendships and collaborations with colleagues from around the world. I can now proudly say that I have a professional network in countries like Brazil, South Africa, India, and China—in addition to Germany. These relationships have not only enriched my understanding of global issues, but they have also provided a support network that transcends borders. Through joint research projects, collaborative workshops, and cultural exchanges, we have built bridges that connect our communities and pave the way for future cooperation.”

I spent my time as a German Chancellor Fellow investigating the differences between European and American beekeeping. I didn't want my bee journey to end after my fellowship, so I applied to graduate school at Arizona State University. I convinced Robert Page to take a chance on an unusual graduate student (an English major) with a fascination for bees. He allowed me into the graduate research program in biology on the condition that I pass the GRE Biology subject test within the first year. I succeeded and earned my master’s and PhD, focusing my research on how young honey bees use pheromone signals to manipulate their caregivers. After a postdoc at the University of Maryland, I returned to Germany as a Junior Fellow of the College of Life Sciences at the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin. There, I met Tim Landgraf, who had developed a tracking system to follow bees inside an observation hive. In April 2021, I became the head of the LAVES Institute for Bee Research in Celle, Germany, the institution that had hosted me during my BUKA year. In May 2022, I accepted the position of director of the State Institute of Bee Research in Stuttgart, Germany at the University of Hohenheim. It's a dream job that allows me to combine my love of teaching, research, and outreach with a great research group and phenomenal students excited about bees and biodiversity.

My Feodor Lynen Fellowship at UC Berkeley offered me the chance to conduct
research at a world-class university. As an urban and regional planner, I was able to
gain profound insight into a highly fascinating metropolitan area. My postdoctoral
research dealt with growth management in the San Francisco Bay Area. I met
fascinating people at UC Berkeley’s Institute of Urban and Regional Development,
including US experts and visiting scholars from all over the world.
This fellowship was highly supportive for my career, as it opened up the pathway for
a professorship in Germany at the University of Kaiserslautern.
I am still highly grateful for being part of the Humboldt network, and I always seek
to support young scholars in building their careers.

My Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Fellowship brought me to the faculties of Gestaltung and architecture at the Bauhaus University in Weimar (2014-2015, 2021), as well as to the faculty of architecture at the University of Kassel (2016). It is hard to put into words how meaningful these experiences were for me. On a professional level, the experience allowed me to gain knowledge about the history of modern architecture in Germany that most scholars in field only dream of. I visited key buildings and explored the major archives. I was able to publish numerous essays and am working on many more. I benefitted from the support of the Humboldt Foundation’s wonderful staff and am proud to say that I became fully fluent in German.

On a personal level, I was able to share my passion for German culture and history with my wife and three children. My children attended German preschools and grammar schools: two of them returned to the United States fluent in German. We made wonderful friends, many of whom remain an integral part of our lives. My children continue to maintain a deep affection for Germany, particularly its bakeries, thrift stores, and desserts. For my oldest daughter, Weimar stands out—it boasts some of the best gelaterias in all of Europe!

I will always cherish the wonderful memories I have from my Humboldt experience. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity and the privilege.

My Humboldt Research Fellowship for postdoctoral researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films was a life-changing experience. I was very lucky to have had Dr. Klaus Bewilogua as a mentor. He instilled in me skills such as decision making and scientific intuition—skills that have helped me in every aspect of my career. Dr. Bewilogua was not only an excellent guide as I took my first professional steps, but he has continued to advise and support me to this day. After I completed my research training in Spain and Germany, I moved to the United States and am in the process of launching a new line of research on the study of interactions between plasma discharges and materials for applications in functional coatings, microelectronics, and biomedicine. I would not be where I am without my Humboldt experience!

My Humboldtian mentor was highly recognized. Working with him was more valuable than getting another PhD. I collaborated with him through the end of his life and now work with his other former students in Germany. I learned that there was no reason to confine my thinking.

My postdoc in Germany was critical for launching my independent career. I had the opportunity to use world class instrumentation to look at important problems in energy conversion. I was introduced to a completely different set of researchers, complementing my training in the United States, and those networks persist in my career today.