Research with millions: Dr. Mühlebach heads the Emmy Noether group in Berlin!

Research with millions: Dr. Mühlebach heads the Emmy Noether group in Berlin!

On March 31, 2025 it was announced that the German Research Foundation (DFG) Dr. Deborah Mühlebach from the Free University of Berlin is supporting the project with over 1.5 million euros. This generous support aims to establish an Emmy Noether Group, which will begin its work in April 2025.

The research group will work intensively on the topic “Critical Agency – An Ethnographically Informed Political Epistemology of Critique”. The focus of the investigations is on the question of which conditions promote or hinder the critical ability of individuals to act. This critical agency is defined as the ability to formulate criticism that is perceived as such.

Research focus of the Emmy Noether group

As part of her research, Mühlebach will analyze how understanding processes are shaped by critics, addressees and bystanders in critical encounters. Two logics in particular shape criticism: the logic of analysis and the logic of resistance. Through ethnographic methods – including dense descriptions, fieldwork and interviews – a political epistemology is developed that takes into account both epistemological and sociopolitical aspects.

Dr. Mühlebach has been working at the Institute for Philosophy at the Free University of Berlin in the Graduate School (GRK) 2638 “Normativity, Critique, and Change” since 2021. Here she already supports 15 doctoral students as a mentor. Her academic career began with a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Basel.

The DFG Emmy Noether Program

The Emmy Noether program is aimed at outstandingly qualified scientists who would like to lead a research group early on after completing their doctorate. This funding is of great importance for an academic career as it represents an important qualification for a university professorship. In this context, Mühlebach's funding aims to support innovative approaches to critical research and promote social change through study and analysis.

The founding of the Emmy Noether Group is a milestone for both Dr. Mühlebach as well as for the Free University of Berlin. The financial support from the DFG ensures that the research work will receive the necessary resources over the next six years to comprehensively address the critical questions.

For further information on the DFG funding opportunities available in the Emmy Noether program, interested readers can find out more on the DFG website.