A cup with the President – Episode 44: Prof. Dr. Almut Schilling-Vacaflor

FAU president Hornegger is taking a selfie and raising his phone. Behind him is Almut Schilling-Vacaflor with her team, posing for the selfie.
(Image: FAU/Giulia Iannicelli)

Visiting Prof. Dr. Almut Schilling-Vacaflor, Professorship for International Business, Society and Sustainability

Each semester, FAU President Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger visits professors in their institutes. He visits them there to talk about their research, to discover what is close to their heart and to get to know them better.

Our series introduces you to the researchers and gives an impression of the President’s meeting with them.

In episode 44, the President visits Prof. Dr. Almut Schilling-Vacaflor. She is professor of international business, society and sustainability.

Almut Schilling-Vacaflor, a woman with shoulder-length, light brown hair in a purple patterned shirt and Joachim Hornegger, a man in a suit with gray hair, sitting together at a table. A cup is in front of each of them and other snacks and drinks are on the table.
Professor Almut Schilling-Vacaflor focuses on international business relations1/4 and the question of how global supply chains can be made more sustainable and socially just. She examines sectors such as agriculture; raw material extraction and textiles; and state, private and civil-society governance, investigating how these can contribute to social-ecological transformation. (Image: FAU/Giulia Iannicelli)1/4
Schilling-Vacaflor, Hornegger and another woman are sitting at a table. Schilling-Vacaflor is explaining something, gesturing and looking at Hornegger.
During her many years of field research in Latin America, she experienced the impact of global economic processes on indigenous groups, smallholder farmers and workers regarding basic issues such as access to water, food and working conditions. Her research aims to contribute to protecting and involving those affected as well as exploiting the potential for local development.2/4 (Image: FAU/Giulia Iannicelli)2/4
Schilling-Vacaflor is sitting at a table explaining something.
Her time spent at 3/4Osnabrück University and the GIGA German Institute for Global and Area Studies had a decisive influence on her career. At the GIGA German Institute for Global and Area Studies she gained a more extensive knowledge of Latin America, while as a postdoctoral researcher and head of a research project at the University of Osnabrück she explored global supply chains and environmental governance in detail. These experiences help her to take an approach that spans both human rights and environmental issues. (Image: FAU/Giulia Iannicelli)3/4
Schilling-Vacaflor and Hornegger are standing together in a corridor holding a cup with an FAU logo.
For her, the most important tool as a professor is her curiosity and open-mindedness. In her research, Almut Schilling-Vacaflor has to interact with many different stakeholders, from indigenous groups to state bodies. The different perspectives and forms of knowledge lead to complex research questions. In response, the professor takes a values-driven approach rather than offering ready-made solutions. Instead, she always questions her assumptions, also in discussions with students.4/4 (Image: FAU/Giulia Iannicelli)4/4
All episodes of A Cup with the President

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