Project Team
The Nacaps project team combines expertise in empirical social research, technological competence in data management, and years of experience in the implementation and evaluation of longitudinal studies
Dr. Steffen Jaksztat
Project Lead
Steffen Jaksztat completed his doctorate in sociology at the Universities of Nuremberg and Hannover and has been working at the German Centre for Higher Education and Science Research (DZHW) since 2008. Currently, he leads the National Academics Panel Study (Nacaps). Prior to this, he conducted research in the DFG-funded project “Subjective and Objective Career Success of Doctoral Graduates in Germany,” which examined career trajectories inside and outside academia. The project explored, among other questions, in which occupational fields doctoral graduates are employed after completing their doctorates, which factors influence their career paths, how parental leave affects the earnings of highly qualified professionals, and what significance the doctoral degree holds for individual career development. Steffen Jaksztat is co-editor of the book Career Paths Inside and Outside Academia and has published numerous articles in leading academic journals such as the Journal of Marriage and Family, Higher Education, Research Evaluation, Research in Higher Education, and the Zeitschrift für Soziologie.
Tel: +49 (0) 511 / 450 670 - 144
Mail: jaksztat@dzhw.eu
Dr. Isabelle Fiedler
Researcher | Survey administration and data processing
Dr. Isabelle Schiffer-Fiedler studied social sciences (B.A.) and educational sciences (M.A.) at Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University Hanover. Since 2018, she has been working as a researcher at the German Center for Higher Education Research and Science Studies. There, she initially worked in the subproject “University Studies and Transition to Work” of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). From 2022 to 2024, she held a doctoral position and focused her research on gender-specific differences in higher education. She completed her doctorate at the end of 2024 and has been working at Nacaps since June 2024, where she is responsible for survey implementation and data processing.
Tel: +49 (0) 511 / 450670 - 190
Mail: fiedler@dzhw.eu
Carola Teichmann
Project Assistant
Carola Teichmann studied sociology (B.A.) at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. She has been working at the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW) since 2014, initially on the ‘Karrieren Promovierter’ ("Nationwide survey of doctorate holders of the graduation year 2013/14") project and, since 2020, as a project assistant on the nacaps project. In addition to administrative and organisational tasks, her responsibilities include conducting the survey, panel maintenance and acting as the contact person for all survey participants.
Tel: +49 (0) 511 / 450 670 - 146
Mail: teichmann@dzhw.eu
Elena Trautwein
HEI Communications and Public Relations
Elena Trautwein studied political science (B.A.) at the University of Vienna and holds an M.A. in literature and media studies from the Otto Friedrich University of Bamberg. She began her career in the editorial department of a publisher for educational media before she moved into the marketing and creative industries, where she worked from 2022 to 2025. Since 2026, she has been part of the Nacaps team, overseeing higher education institution (HEI) communications and public relations.
Tel:+49 (0) 511 / 450 670 - 142
Mail: trautwein@dzhw.eu
Frank Bela Schädlich
Researcher | Doctoral Candidate
Frank Bela Schädlich studied social sciences at the University of Osnabrück (B.A.), and science and society (M.A.) at the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University Hannover. From 2023 to 2025, he worked as a research associate at the University of Applied Sciences Emden/Leer, where he evaluated a project of the Deutsche Rentenversicherung Oldenburg/Bremen. Since 2025, he has been working as a research associate on the Nacaps project.
Tel: +49 (0) 511 / 450670 - 135
Mail: schaedlich@dzhw.eu
Dr. Vanessa K. Jänsch
Researcher | Survey Design
Dr. Vanessa K. Jänsch studied business psychology (B.Sc.), and management and human resources (M.A.) at Leuphana University Lüneburg and received her doctorate in 2017 with a thesis on “Facilitators and Outcomes of Career Preparation among University Students and Graduates.” From 2016 to 2021, she worked on various higher education research projects at the University of Hamburg. Since September 2021 she has been working as a researcher at the DZHW and, at Nacaps, is amongst other things responsible for questionnaire development.
Tel: +49 (0) 511 / 450 670 - 136
Mail: jaensch@dzhw.eu
Marie Lena Muschik
Researcher | Survey Design
Marie Lena Muschik studied economics at the University of Heidelberg, and labor market and human resources with a focus on empirical labor economics at the Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg. From 2018 to 2022, she worked in various positions and projects at the Institute for Employment Research of the German Federal Employment Agency in Nuremberg, most recently as a consultant to the institute's directorate. Since January 2023, she has been working as a researcher and doctoral candidate at the DZHW, where she oversees survey design and implementation on the Nacaps project.
Tel: +49 (0) 511 / 450 670 - 960
Mail: muschik@dzhw.eu