Science Across the Atlantic

Jessica Strattard Hamilton serves on the senior leadership team at American Friends of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AFAvH), the U.S. partner to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH). In this role, she spearheads initiatives to strengthen academic and cultural ties between the US and Germany and engages over 6,000 US alumni of the Humboldt Foundation. As an advocate for transatlantic collaboration, Jessica shapes strategies to expand the AvH’s US presence and fosters a vibrant network of supporters and alumni. With her expertise in nonprofit management and fundraising, she cultivates relationships, enhances board engagement, and secures resources to advance the foundation’s mission of promoting international exchange, scientific cooperation, and active alumni involvement. Jessica has an MPPA from Northwestern University, an MA in journalism from Michigan State University, and a BA in political science from the University of Michigan.

Christian Strowa assumed the roles of Director of the DWIH New York and Director of the DAAD Regional Office New York in September 2024. He completed his studies in American Studies, Psychology, and Media Studies at the University of Bonn, and pursued Comparative Literature and Philosophy at New York University. Additionally, he holds a postgraduate degree from UCL’s Institute of Education (IoE). He has held teaching roles at Dublin City University and University College London. Before his appointment to New York, he served as Head of Division “Knowledge and Network” at the DAAD’s headquarters in Bonn, where he was responsible for the DAAD’s network of overseas offices, the international DAAD Academy iDA, third party funding and the Centre for International Academic Cooperation KIWi. Prior to this, he led the Section “Scholarship Programmes Asia and the Pacific” and served as Deputy Director of the DAAD’s London Office.

Christian Brei is Chancellor of Leuphana University of Lüneburg and a senior higher education executive with more than two decades of experience in university leadership and institutional innovation. As a member of the university’s executive board, he holds broad responsibility for the institutional framework that enables research, teaching, and international engagement, including human resources, finance, infrastructure and campus development, communications, digital and administrative services, and major strategic initiatives. He holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from Witten/Herdecke University and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University. His work focuses on university governance, institutional transformation, and the institutional conditions needed to attract talent, foster academic excellence, and strengthen international cooperation.

Dr. Anca Pusca brings together close to 30 years in International Studies and a decade in academic publishing. Passionate about knowledge curation and the role of publishing in connecting academia, policy, and society, she has worked across diverse academic markets to expand the reach of scholarly work and support researchers in building their academic profiles and broader impact. A strong advocate for Early Career Researchers, she is committed to fostering a more transparent, supportive, and inclusive publishing environment. She is also deeply engaged with the impact of new technologies, including generative AI, on how research is discovered, consumed, shared, and trusted

Dr. Jan Lüdert is Head of Programs at the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York. Jan earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of British Columbia (UBC). He holds Harvard Kennedy’s School Public Leadership Credential; a First-Class Honors MA in International Relations from the Australian National University; and a BA in Public Policy from Hamburg University for Economics and Politics. He previously served as Associate Professor at City University of Seattle where he was the inaugural Director of Curriculum and Instruction. He held positions as Visiting Research Scholar at the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies at City University of New York's Graduate Center as well as Research Associate with the DFG 'Dynamics of Security' project at Philipps Marburg University. He is an alumnus of Seattle's World Affairs Council Fellows and UBC Liu Institute for Global Issues Scholar programs.