Researcher

Our team investigates mobility cultures and public space through an interdisciplinary lens. We understand societal transformations in mobility as collective processes shaped by planning, governance, policy, media, and public participation. Our research focuses on how these interactions influence questions of accessibility, equity, sustainability, and democratic engagement in everyday mobility.


Prof. Dr. Jana Kühl
Professor of Cycling Mobility and Management

My research focuses on sustainable mobility, livable cities, and sufficiency in the context of societal transformation processes. Since my appointment to the BMV Endowed Professorship for Cycling at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences in 2020, I have been investigating the role of cycling in these areas together with my interdisciplinary team. In my teaching, I work on further developing sustainable mobility concepts and on co-creating innovative approaches with students for a more sustainable future society.

Short Biography

  • Since 2020: Professor of Cycling Mobility Management at the Institute for Transport Management, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences
  • 2017 – 2020: Research Associate, Working Group Cultural Geography, Department of Geography, Kiel University (Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel)
    • BMVI project NAF-Bus: Demand-responsive autonomous bus in public transport
    • EKSH project Shared rides as a contribution to the mobility transition in rural regions of Schleswig-Holstein
  • 2016 – 2018: Advisor for Transport Planning and New Mobility Services, NAH.SH GmbH (regional public transport authority Schleswig-Holstein)
  • 2016: PhD (Dr. rer. pol.), Faculty of Spatial Planning, TU Dortmund University, Title: Green in Everyday Urban Life. Reconstructing everyday spatial practices and pathways for participatory urban development


Moritz Michael, B.A.
Mobility Analyst

Mobility is part of everyday life. It shapes how people travel to school, work, and leisure activities – and therefore also influences participation, quality of life, and sustainability. As a researcher, I focus on the mobility behavior of young people, with particular attention to the opportunities and barriers related to cycling. My work is not limited to infrastructure, but also examines the social, psychological, and political factors that shape mobility practices.

Short Biography

  • Since 02/2024: Research Associate at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences in the project Bike to School – how cool
  • 02/2024 – 10/2024: Research Associate at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences in the project aZuR – Automated condition assessment of cycling infrastructure

mo.michael@ostfalia.de | tel.:  +49 5341 875 51850


Judith Rötgers, M. Sc.
Geographer

My research focuses on mobility in urban contexts. I am particularly interested in feminist and intersectional perspectives on cities and active mobility. These perspectives can be used to examine how access to mobility differs across social groups, as well as to explore more inclusive visions of cities that prioritize active and public forms of mobility. In addition, I study the social and political barriers to mobility transitions.

Short Biography

  • Since 05/2024: Research Associate in the Cycling Mobility, Management Team, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, as of 01/2026 within the BMV project “LENKER”
  • 04/2023 – 03/2024: Project Coordinator – Municipal Partnerships, Engagement Global
  • 09/2020 – 03/2023: Project Officer – Municipal Mobilization, Engagement Global
  • 04/2019 – 02/2020: Research Assistant, Working group „Critical Geographies of Global Inequalities“, University of Hamburg

Presentations

  • 08/2026: Examining Power in Motion: Methodological Approaches in Cycling Research to the Interplay of Social, Media, and Spatial Power, accepted for Cycling & Society Symposium 2026 [with Jana Kühl and Carolin Baaske]
  • 10/2024: Feminist Geographies of Urban Cycling Initatives, presented at the 15th annual conference of the Pegasus Network

j.roetgers@ostfalia.de | tel.: +49 5341 875 51820


Konstantin Ponomarev, Dipl. Hist.
Historian and Media Scholar

Mobility is communication. People constantly talk about their mobility experiences—in parliament, at dinner tables, or on social media. Ultimately, our future is shaped by the modes of transport we use and by how openly we discuss the purposes and meanings of our journeys. As a researcher, I am interested in the influence of different actors, particularly through new (social) media, on transport policy processes across different countries.

Short Biography

  • Since 05/2024: Research Associate in the Cycling Mobility Management Team, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences
  • Since 04/2019: PhD Researcher at the Chair of Integrated Transport Planning, TU Berlin, Topic: The role of new media in public debates on mobility

k.ponomarev@ostfalia.de | tel.: +49 5341 875 53160


Carolin Baaske M.A.
Designer

My research focuses on everyday practices in relation to mobility cultures, media, and social milieus. Using methods of design research and practice-theoretical approaches, I explore how mobility is shaped through the interplay of material infrastructures, social contexts, and media representations.

Short Biography

  • Since 12/2025: Research Associate in the Cycling Mobility Management Team, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, within the BMV project “Bicycle – Media – Milieus”
  • 04/2025 bis 04/2026: Research Associate at HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen in the project Domestication of an AI-Platform
  • 05/2024 bis 11/2025: Research Associate in the Team of the endowed professorship of Cycling Mobility Management, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences

Presentations

  • 08/2026: Examining power in motion: Methodological approaches in cycling research to the interplay of social, media, and spatial power, accepted for Cycling & Society Symposium 2026 [together with Jana Kühl and Judith Rötgers]
  • 05/2026: A Lifeworld Perspective on Mobility Practices: Methodological Reflections on Studying the Relationships Between the Built Environment, Social Milieus, and Media Use at the 3rd conference of the Working Group Phenomenological Approaches to the Built Environment
  • 12/2025: Cultural Probes for Cycling Research: Methodological Approaches to Studying Affect at the conference Mobility, Affect and Cooperative Media in Siegen
  • 11/2025: Communication and cycling mobility at the 2nd Conference on Traffic Safety of the Police Directorate Braunschweig – Cycling Mobility 360°: Rethinking Safety for Vision Zero
  • 09/2025: Speak your mind – Alexa Revisited: Power Shifts through NUI-Innovations together with Prof. Dr. Konstantin Haensch at the annual conference of the German Society for Media Studies
  • 09/2025: The Disruptive Impact of AI Smart Speaker Interaction on Media Consumption together with Prof. Dr. Konstantin Haensch at the Tenth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies
  • 03/2025: Cycling Mobility Meets Social Media in Municipalities, together with Dipl. Hist. Konstantin Ponomarev, presented at the AGFK conference “Cycling Country Lower Saxony/Bremen”
  • 03/2025: Actors of the mobility transition, presented at the annual conference of the Working Group for Qualitative Methods in Geography and Spatially Sensitive Social and Cultural Research
  • 10/2024: Automobile Normality as a Barrier to the Mobility Transition – Analysis of Discursive Practices in Transport Planning, presented at the 15th annual conference of the Pegasus Network

ca.baaske@ostfalia.de | tel.: + 49 5341 875 53150