Around the world in 16 fellows: Prof. Dr. John Gal & Prof. Dr. Idit Weiss-Gal
This year and next, sixteen researchers from thirteen countries will be conducting their research and teaching at TH Köln as International Fellows. Two of them are Prof. Dr. John Gal and Prof. Dr. Idit Weiss-Gal. In this interview, they reveal what makes the students at TH Köln special and what they were most looking forward to in Germany.
Names: Prof. Dr. John Gal and Prof. Dr. Idit Weiss-Gal
Home universities: Hebrew University & Tel Aviv University, Israel
Hosting faculty at TH Köln: Faculty of Applied Social Sciences
Fellowship name: Policy Practice in Social Work
Duration of stay: 1 – 30 November 2024, 1 July – 31 August 2025
We were interested in the International Fellowship because...
we have good colleagues at TH Köln, who are leaders in the field of social worker's impact on social policy, and this was a great opportunity to strengthen our collaboration
Specifically, during the fellowship we plan to...
write an article discussing teaching social workers how to engage in policy with Prof. Sigrid Leitner and work on a grant proposal on the impact of social workers on international conventions.
During our time in Germany, we would like to find out...
how the social services function in this unique welfare state and what role social workers working for welfare associations play in furthering social justice
We think international exchange is...
a wonderful opportunity to exchange views, learn about the unknown (for us, at least), and generate new ideas and research options
Something that is different at our home universities than at TH Köln is...
two things – students here are more involved during classes and don't fiddle with their mobiles when they are in class. And, of course, no Kolsch back at home!
What we take back to our home universities is...
how to create a conducive atmosphere for international cooperation. By the way, we really appreciated the barbecue for faculty and students when the course that we taught on social worker's policy practice ended!
What we like about TH Köln is...
the warm welcome we received from the faculty here and the curiosity and openness of the students that we experienced when we taught our course.
What we really want to experience in Cologne is...
peace and quiet, some cool weather, schnitzels and beer with friends, and long walks along the Rhine.
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).
August 2025
