Leadership
Prof. Yüksel Pögün-Zander, PhD.
President
Yüksel Pöğün-Zander was born in Izmir. She started her undergraduate training at the Catholic University of America (Washington D.C.) in 1992 and completed her studies at the Istanbul Technical University in 1997. She received her Master's and PhD degrees at the Izmir Institute of Technology, where she worked as a research and teaching assistant. Some of her research interests include the intercultural exchange in the history of architecture and design with a focus on Germany and Turkey, and exhibition and fair design. She has worked as a freelance architect in Istanbul, Izmir, and Berlin and as the coordinator of the Architecture and Interior Design Programmes of Bahcesehir University's Berlin Campus.
E-Mail: pogun-zander@berlin-international.de
Klaus Büchel, ass. iur.
Chancellor
Klaus Büchel was born in Düsseldorf and studied law at the Freie Universität Berlin. He is a certified lawyer and has been working as a lawyer specializing in employment law since 1995. Since 2013, he has worked as Head of the Examination Office and Chancellor at several universities in Berlin. Klaus Büchel has been Chancellor of the university since December 2024.
E-Mail: buechel@berlin-international.de
Prof. Dr. Baris Ülker
Vice President
Baris Ülker received his PhD in Sociology and Social Anthropology from the Central European University in 2012. He was a visiting scholar at the Humboldt University, Howard University and Columbia University throughout his studies. Currently, he is a research fellow at the Center for Metropolitan Studies, Technical University Berlin. His major research interests focus on the anthropology of state, colonial and post-colonial relations, governmental subjectivities and urban spatial restructuring. His dissertation and current book project examines the emergence and development of “ethnic entrepreneurship” in Berlin since the late 1980s, relying on the experiences of immigrants from Turkey. Barış Ülker’s publications include a number of articles in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes. Baris Ülker’s research was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG), German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Max Planck Institute (MPI), Ernst Reuter Archives Foundation and Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF).
E-Mail: ulker@berlin-international.de
Prof. Javier Martin
Vice President
Javier Martín was born in Valencia, Spain. He studied architecture (UP Valencia, 2009) and holds a Master's in Design Studies in the field of architectural technology from Harvard University Graduate School of Design (Cambridge, MA, USA, 2014), where he also was a teaching assistant and a research assistant at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Materials.
After working for Zvi Hecker in Berlin, he developed his own professional practice individually and in collaboration with different colleagues. His work has been internationally awarded, published, and exhibited extensively – including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
As an academic and educator, Prof. Martín has taught in different universities in Spain, the U.S., and Chile. His research interests revolve around materiality, technology, and assembly processes.
Prof. Martín teaches courses related to construction and materials and also design projects – both in the BA and MA Interior Architecture/Interior Design and in the BA Architecture programs.
E-Mail: martin@berlin-international.de
Dr. Fabian Eggers
Executive Assistant to the Presidency
Fabian Eggers has a background in literary and cultural studies. He holds a BA in German philology as well as an MA in North American Studies from Freie Universität Berlin and completed his Ph.D. at the Graduate School of North American Studies at Freie Universität Berlin in 2023. He studied in Brussels and Bloomington, Indiana, and conducted his Ph.D. research at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He worked in Public Relations, was an assistant at Friedrich-Schlegel-Graduiertenschule, and chaired the student workers’ council at Freie Universität. At Berlin International, Fabian is in charge of Quality Management and closely works with the president’s office.
E-Mail: eggers@berlin-international.de
Esra Altuntabak, LL.M.
Executive Assistant to the Chancellor's Office
At Berlin International University of Applied Sciences, Esra assists the Chancellor in all administrative, financial, and logistical matters. She also acts as a contact person for staff, teachers, and students.
E-Mail: altuntabak@berlin-international.de
Maria de los Angeles Sanchez Muneton
Assistant to the Presidency
Originally from Venezuela, Maria has lived in Germany for six years. She worked as an au pair and then spent a year volunteering in a kindergarten. She then completed an apprenticeship in hospitality, which led to her role as an event organizer at a hotel in Berlin. Maria enjoys organizing events, helping others, and learning new things. In her free time,e she enjoys cooking, dancing, and sewing.
E-Mail: sanchez@berlin-international.de
Veronika Stolarenko
Assistant to the Presidency
Veronika Stolarenko joined our team shortly after graduating from high school in Charlottenburg/Wilmersdorf, with Philosophy and German as her main subjects. While Veronika went to school, she worked as a secretary and assistant in a patisserie. In her free time, she also has been volunteering at the scouts and is an active member of a climbing group, with whom she enjoys climbing trips to Sächsische Schweiz and the Harz. She can speak German, English, and Russian fluently.