Around the world in 16 fellows: Karla Mayke Cirico Scherer Schlichting
In 2025 and 2026, sixteen researchers from thirteen countries will be conducting their research and teaching at TH Köln as International Fellows. One of them is Karla Mayke Cirico Scherer Schlichting. In this interview, she reveals why she values international exchange, what she likes about TH Köln, and why she came to Cologne.
Name: Karla Mayke Cirico Scherer Schlichting
Home universitiy: Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil
Hosting faculty at TH Köln: Faculty of Cultural Sciences
Fellowship title: Transformative Design for Local Food Systems (using Systems Oriented Design)
Duration of stay: 1 December 2025 – 28 February 2026
I was interested in the International Fellowship because…
it offered a unique opportunity to deepen my research through international exchange, interdisciplinary dialogue, and immersion in a Design culture strongly connected to social innovation and systemic thinking.
Specifically, during the fellowship I wanted to…
expand my theoretical and methodological repertoire in System Design and Social Innovation, engage with researchers and students at TH Köln, and test new perspectives for my research in an international context.
During my time in Germany, I wanted to find out…
how design research and practice intersect in projects that address social challenges, particularly those related to community spaces, food systems, and women empowerment.
I think international exchange is…
essential for broadening critical perspectives, challenging taken-for-granted assumptions, and fostering more responsible, inclusive, and culturally sensitive design practices.
Something that is different at my home university than at TH Köln is…
the strong emphasis on collective work, interdisciplinary collaboration, and practice-based learning embedded directly into teaching and research activities.
What I take back to my home university is…
that design education can be even more powerful when it is deeply connected to real-world contexts, collaborative processes, and international networks.
What I like about TH Köln is…
that it cultivates an open, experimental, and socially engaged environment, where design is understood not only as a discipline but as a catalyst for societal transformation.
What I really wanted to experience in Cologne is…
everyday academic life within a German university, meaningful exchanges with students and researchers, and the city’s strong connection between culture, design, and social initiatives.
About PLan_CV
The International Fellows program is part of the project PLan_CV („Professur-Laufbahn an Hochschulen für angewandte Wissenschaften neu denken: Collaboration und Vernetzung“). Its goal: Finding excellent candidates for professorial careers at TH Köln and achieving greater permeability between the academic world and the business sector. The project’s budget of 12.4 million Euros is funded through the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space program “FH-Personal” (staff for universities of applied sciences).
February 2026
