Europe Visiting Professorship

Europe Visiting Professorship 2026

Europa-Gastprofessor Dr. Francesco Cappellano© Giovanna Catalano
Dr. Francesco Cappellano

In the summer semester of 2026, economic geographer Dr Francesco Cappellano is the Europe Visiting Professor at CEUS | Cluster for European Research at Saarland University.
Dr Cappellano is currently a researcher at the Department of Geography at Kiel University (Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel). His research lies at the intersection of political economy, regional development and governance studies, examining how local and regional actors respond to global challenges such as climate change, digitalisation and societal transformation.
A particular focus of his current research is on cross-border governance and regional transformation processes. Since September 2024, he has been coordinating Work Package 5 of the Interreg project CLIMATEPOL – Climate Adaptation in the Danish-German Border Regions, which addresses the socioeconomic impacts of climate change and adaptation strategies in the German-Danish border region.
Dr Francesco Cappellano previously held positions including Assistant Professor at WSB University in Poland and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Eastern Finland. He has also conducted research as a visiting scholar at universities in Europe and North America. His work has been published in international academic journals specialising in regional studies, planning and innovation research.

 

 
Courses taught by Dr Francesco Cappellano in the Summer Semester 2026
Public Events

Öffentlicher Vortrag „Border Regions in Transformation: Agency, Functions and Networks towards Societal Challenges“ 
Der Vortrag findet in englischer Sprache statt.

Zeit und Ort:  Dienstag, 16. Juni 2026, 11:00 Uhr | Kaffee-Empfang ab 10:40 Uhr 
                           Gebäude A2 1 (Innovation Center), Raum 3.05.1, Campus Saarbrücken

Weitere Informationen

Contact

Dr Francesco Cappellano
francesco.cappellano(at)uni-saarland.de

 

The Europe Visiting Professorship at Saarland University

Studierende in einem Seminarraum© Universität des Saarlandes

The Europe Visiting Professorship was established at Saarland University in 2008 and gives a visible face to the university’s European identity. Since 2016, the professorship has been based at CEUS. It embodies openness and international exchange, as well as a strong commitment to Europe as a field of research, firmly established as a key focus within the university’s humanities and social sciences.

The Europe Visiting Professorship was originally conceived as an initiative to support early-career academics. Young professors from selected European countries whose languages and cultures were not represented by the university’s philological disciplines could apply for a visiting professorship lasting one academic year. When the professorship became part of CEUS, the programme was expanded into an international visiting professorship.

Each year, Cluster for European Research invites internationally renowned scholars specialising in European research to Saarbrücken as part of the Europe Visiting Professorship. These distinguished academics contribute their expertise to the university’s Europe-related teaching programmes and to specific research initiatives within its European research focus, while strengthening Saarland University’s connections with international academic networks.

In addition, the Europe Visiting Professors participate in public events organised by CEUS and the university, bringing their Europe-related research topics to a wider audience.

 

Overview of All Visiting Professors

Europe Visiting Professors since the Summer Semester 2018
Guest Countries 2008–2016