For an interim period from 1st December 2017 to 31st May 2018, I will take the position of Administrative Manager at the Centre for Security and Society. During this time, I will take over from Nicholas during his parental leave.
This is already the second time I take this position for an interim period; the first time span covered November 2015 until March 2016. Judging from previous experience, I assume that I will have little time for my own research. And even if I do find a couple of hours here and there, this is not really conducive to my current effort: finding a suitable topic for my habilitation, i.e. a second big research project that demonstrates a wider philosophical horizon.
Nevertheless, I hope and believe that I will learn a great deal in science management during this time. Many of the ideas I developed 2 years ago were implemented in one way or the other (to be honest, probably in a much more professional way than I could have done it at this time). I have learned a lot from Nicholas as the Centre has developed into a duly professionalized research institution with greater staff, both in administration and research. And it plays a much more prominent role in the University, which means that university politics is also a much bigger component than before. So in the end, the task will be a completely different one – even though it goes under the same name.