Short description
Are you approaching your PhD defense and wondering how to ensure your presentation is clear, structured, and impactful? Join our hands-on workshop, 'Getting Ready for Your Defense,' led by Dr. Christian Gläßel. As a veteran doctoral committee member, Christian will provide constructive feedback to help you refine your presentation, confidently convey your key messages, and stay focused on what matters most.
The interactive sessions (1.5 hours per participant) are designed to provide personalized feedback on your slides, flow, and overall structure—whether you have a fully prepared presentation or just an initial outline. Even if you're not ready to present, attending this workshop offers a valuable opportunity to gain insights into the key dos and don’ts of dissertation defenses.
Target group
PhD researchers who are about to or have recently submitted their dissertation
Goals
Get personalized feedback on your dissertation slides, flow, and overall structure.
Instructor
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Dr. Christian Gläßel is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for International Security and principal investigator of the research project “The Anatomy of the Authoritarian Security Apparatus” (AASAP), funded by the German Research Foundation DFG. Christian obtained his PhD from the Mannheim Graduate School of Economic and Social Sciences in 2020. His PhD on subversion, repression, and regime stability was awarded the Lorenz von Stein Prize. Before joining the Hertie School, Christian was a lecturer at the University of Mannheim and researcher in the ERC project "Repression and the Escalation of Violence" and the Collaborative Research Center "Political Economy of Reforms". In 2022, he substituted Nils-Christian Bormann as Professor of International Political Studies at Witten/Herdecke University.
In his research, Christian investigates fundamental questions of authoritarian politics and touches new grounds on the inner workings of dictatorial regimes. His findings help us understand when autocracies develop, how they cement their rule, and why they break down. Christian’s work on autocratization processes, repressive organizations, information manipulation, and the death toll behind authoritarian soft power and sportswashing strategies has been published in all leading international political science outlets, including in the American Journal of Political Science, American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Journal of Conflict Resolution, European Journal of International Relations, and Comparative Political Studies, among others.
