International Advisory Panel
As a SPOT student, you will embark on an exhilarating journey through the diverse landscapes, cultures, and teaching approaches of Europe—stretching from the western shores to the eastern frontiers, and from the northern reaches to the southern sun.
At the same time, our esteemed International Advisory Panel (IAP) is dedicated to ensuring that innovative, global teaching content for our three focus areas finds its way into your degree programme. These specialists from different continents will provide independent advice and guidance to the Governing Board (GB) and the Quality Management Board (QMB). Following their meetings, the Chair submits a formal report, offering a thorough assessment of the programme’s current state and appropriate recommendations. This report is promptly reviewed by the GB and QMB, enabling swift and informed decisions that integrate the latest research and advancements into your curriculum.
In addition, the IAP recommends renowned guest lecturers, who bring their pioneering research directly into our master's programme. These eminent scholars either deliver their own lectures or collaborate as co-teachers, infusing the programme with cutting-edge insights and expertise. Discover the visionary individuals behind this committee and see how they contribute to your exceptional educational experience here.

International Advisory Panel Chair
Prof. Gavin B. Sullivan
Prof. Sullivan is Professor of Social Psychology at IPU Berlin since October 2020. Prior to joining IPU, Prof. Sullivan led two research groups at Coventry University in the Centre for Psychology, Behaviour and Achievement and then the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations. He has undertaken research in Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany (as an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow), Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa. Prof. Sullivan is a Senior Research Fellow with the Resilience Development Initiative think tank in Indonesia where his research has focused on disaster preparedness and community long-term responses to natural hazard-related disasters and social change. Prof. Sullivan is a member of the PLEDGE Consortium which is funded by the European Union to study the politics of grievance and democratic governance. He is chair of the British Psychological Society Historical, Philosophical and Theoretical Psychology Section, co-editor of special issues for the journals British Journal of Social Psychology and International Journal of Qualitative Methods on, respectively, futures-focused social psychology and virtual and immersive technologies in qualitative research, and a member of the editorial board of the journal Theory & Psychology, editor of a book on collective pride, co-author of a book on the cultural psychology of coping with disaster, and author of a book on Wittgenstein´s philosophy and psychology. He has written more than 50 publications with a combined total of 13,000+ citations and an h-index of 26. In the SPOT programme, Gavin is the Chair of the International Advisory Panel.