Prof. Dr.
Susanne Elsen studied Social Education, Sociology and
Economics and was graduated at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University
of Trier. She obtained a Doctor of Philosophy at the same University and received
the Venia Legendi (Habilitation) in welfare studies at the Technical University
of Dresden.
After seven years of fieldwork in different countries
within a program for the development of community based tourism (Studienkreis
für Tourismus and Touristik Union International), she worked at the University
of Trier as researcher and project leader in research for urban development,
sustainability and social innovation. For her work in a project for integrative
urban restoration and the development of housing- and employment cooperatives,
she gained the award of the German Schader Foundation for research in the
sector of housing and urban development.
Since 1992 she was responsible for the qualification
programs of collaborators in local and regional development agencies at the study
center of the German protestant church, Burckhardthaus, Gelnhausen. In 1995 she
became the director of the research-project EUROSOZIAL at the University of
Trier, financed by the German Ministry for research and education, with a focus
on local labor market and the promotion of health in the Euregio Saar-Lor-Lux
and in a parallel contract she worked as scientific collaborator
in the national program: „Neue Wege der Arbeitsplatzbeschaffung –
Gemeinwesenorientierung erschließt Potenziale“ (1998-2003), financed by the German
Ministery for Families, Elderly, Women and Youth. This project aimed to create
new employment options for women in remote rural areas of eastern Germany.
Since 1997 she has been Professor for community
development at the University of Applied Sciences in Zürich and since 1999 at
the University of Applied Sciences of Munich. Since 2010 she is full professor
for sociology at the Faculty of Education of the Free University of Bolzano,
vice-dean for research, director of the BA-course in social education and
coordinator of the PhD-program.
In 2011 she was called as a member to the future
council of Bavaria, in 2013 to the expert commission for
cooperatives in the social political field of Bavaria and in 2016 as scientific
councilor to the German Union of Green Enterprises. Since 2014 she has a
lectureship for Community based Tourism at the University of Sancti Spiritus in
Cuba.
Her emphasis in research lies in eco-social
development and transformation with a special focus on socio-economic solutions
for disadvantaged rural and urban areas. She combines participatory research strategies
as cooperative and transdiscipilinary knowledge production with approaches to
social change and development, involving concerned people (transformative
research).