Kai-Uwe Schnapp has been Professor of Political Science, especially Research Methodology, at Universität Hamburg since 2008. Schnapp graduated from the Freie Universität Berlin and previously held positions at the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB), Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, and Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg.

He publishes on research methodology, comparative parliamentary and administrative research as well as electoral research, and is principal investigator in the DFG Research Group 'Need-Based Justice and Distribution Procedures'.

Schnapp is currently Co-Editor of the Politische Vierteljahresschrift, the quarterly journal of the German Political Science Association.

Peter Niesen is Professor of Political Theory at Universität Hamburg. From 2007 to 2013, he taught at TU Darmstadt and was a Principal Investigator in the Frankfurt-based Cluster of Excellence 'Formation of Normative Orders'.

Niesen has held visiting appointments at University College London, Harvard University, Southampton University, the University of Iceland, the London School of Economics and Université de Montréal.

He has published on Jeremy Bentham and Immanuel Kant, on international political theory and democratic theory. Niesen is co-convenor of the ECPR Standing Group on International Political Theory.

Among his recent publications is 'Restitutive Justice in International and Cosmopolitan Law' in K. Flikschuh & L. Ypi (eds.), Kant and Colonialism, Oxford 2014.

Andreas von Staden is Assistant Professor of Political Science, especially Global Governance, in the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at Universität Hamburg.

Before coming to Hamburg, he was Assistant Professor of International Organization at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland.

His principal research interests concern the interplay of law and politics in regional and global governance, most notably in relation to issues of compliance and institutional design; judicial politics beyond the state; international human rights and investment protection; and questions concerning the legitimacy of decision-making by international organizations.

A major study of compliance with the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights will be published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in early 2018.

Andreas holds a PhD from Princeton University and MA degrees from Princeton, Yale, and Universität Hamburg. In 2010, his dissertation received the 2010 Best Dissertation Award of the American Political Science Association’s Human Rights Section.

Maren Minuth works as an event manager for Universität Hamburg Marketing GmbH.  After many years of experience in the management and implementation of events in the public sector, e.g. schools and town halls, Ms. Minuth decided to study facility management at the Hamburger Fernhochschule. Thus, she is now specialized on technical event planning. At Universität Hamburg Marketing GmbH she was for example responsible for the “Dies Academicus” and part of the team organising the night of science “Nacht des Wissens”. For the ECPR conference she is the contact person in relation to the university’s venue as well as safety regulations.

Christina Gaats works as assistant event manager for Universität Hamburg Marketing GmbH. She finished her studies of tourism management at the Hochschule Harz specialized on business travel and trade fairs. For the ECPR conference she is in charge of supporting the ECPR in registration and hotel handling, social programme and coordinating the book exhibition on site. Amongst other events she former organised the international conference “New International Perspectives on Future Teachers’ Professional Competencies” and the “Dies Academicus” at Universität Hamburg.