Coordination Office

Dr. Julius Dihstelhoff is responsible for the international joint project, the Merian Center for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM), as an academic coordinator (postdoc position) since May 2020. He is in charge of the operational work of MECAM in the areas of administrative and organizational coordination. His responsibilities also cover the coordination between MECAM’s office in Tunis, the MECAM directors and the MECAM executive Council.

Julius Dihstelhoff’s research work addresses German foreign policy in the MENA region, political transformation processes in Tunisia, and the topics of regional (re)organization and political Islam. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Philipps-Universität Marburg with a dissertation entitled “Perceptions of German Foreign Policy in Tunisia after 2010: An Analysis of the Concept of Germany’s Foreign Policy Role from the Perspective of its Foreign Policy Makers and the Tunisian Nahda Party.”

Mohamed Alyani, is part of the MECAM team in charge of administrative, technical and web management, as well as MECAM’s digital infrastructure and local finance administration. Also the implementation of organizational activities and logistical and technical operations of events for visiting scholars and international fellows. His responsibilities are to support the Directors, the Academic Coordinator and the Program Manager. Thus assisting in all matters related to the establishment of the operation of the coordination office in Tunis and the implementation of research program activities.

A strong and varied professional experience, leading to the management and piloting of projects and the coordination of programs in several themes mainly related to: Information Systems Development (ISD), good governance of audiovisual media, access to information, communication of information, advocacy and creation of platforms, good governance, state of human rights and transitional justice, electoral elections, participatory democracy and decentralization.
In his career, he has worked with constitutional institutions, national and international organizations, alternative and professional media and Tunisian civil society associations.

Benjamin Heidrich works in MECAM’s science and project management team and is particularly responsible for coordinating tasks (e.g. in the areas of fellow selection, controlling, reporting and event organization). As a former employee of the Leuphana University Lüneburg, the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO) in Berlin,
he has extensive experience in science administration as well as in research and teaching. As a doctoral candidate in the field of (Political) Geography, he is also investigating the role of imagined (state and non-state) orders of the future in the context of state fragmentation in Syria.

Hiba Mednini is part of the team of MECAM since June 2024. She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Pecs in Hungary. Hiba’s experience working at international organizations in Tunisia has enabled her to develop strong foundation in project management and coordination.

At MECAM, she ensures the effective scientific communication of the center’s activities and manages its scientific events, fostering a collaborative environment for academic excellence.

Dr. Clara-Auguste Süß is the Outreach and Transfer Manager for the Merian Center for Advanced Study in the Maghreb (MECAM) at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) in Hamburg, Germany. She is in charge of organizing and coordinating MECAM’s outreach events, effectively the Rencontres Ibn Khaldoun and the MECAM Policy Talk, as well as MECAM’s representation at (inter)national scientific conferences.

Her research focuses on social movements and social (in)justice, political violence and radicalization, as well as dynamics of political transformation. She holds a PhD in Political Science from Goethe University Frankfurt with a dissertation entitled “Radicalization of the Marginalized? Dynamics of Islamist Radicalization in Tunisia post-2011”. She is currently preparing a related book manuscript.

Pia Wagner has been working as an administrative assistant in the MECAM project since November 2023. She is responsible for the management of third-party funds (payment requests, proof of use, monitoring of funds, personnel, procurement and budget processes arising in the project, as well as the settlement of travel expenses and the approval of invoices.

Ms. Wagner has been working at Justus Liebig University since 2009 and brings her many years of experience in the administration of third-party funds to MECAM. Thanks to her expertise, she is a reliable and recognized contact person for doctoral students and project participants.

Julia Hermann is a trained bank clerk and certified translator in economics (main focus: Banking & Finance and Law), worked several years as an editor and proofreader (languages: German and English) and has been working at Philipps University Marburg for the chairs “Near and Middle Eastern Politics” and “(Post)Colonial Studies Maghreb” (secretary) since June 2022.

MECAM has been supported by her from her office in Marburg since April 2023. By working very closely together with the Tunis team, her tasks are among other things: the planning and organization of business trips for international meetings and conferences as well as the proofreading of texts in German and English language.

Dorra Talbi, a Student Assistant in the MECAM project, has been supporting MECAM’s social media since October 2023. She studies Data science at Philipps University Marburg. In addition, she has an interest in political science and research, particularly in Tunisia and the Mena region.