26.11.2025«Meet the researcher» recap: Matthias Klingler, Nico Mutzner and Marco Giesselmann

Matthias Klingler, a PhD candidate involved in the Human Reproduction Reloaded URPP is exploring the relationships between major life-course transitions, such as becoming a parent or getting divorced, and their economic consequences. Under the supervision of Marco Giesselmann, he is dedicated to understanding how these transitions differ across social groups and how they are shaped by cultural norms.

Another focus of his research lies on current conceptions of ideal parenting. Presenting early results from an ongoing survey experiment, he finds that both mothers and fathers appear to be held to similar standards, with expectations of intensive parenting applying to both to a comparable extent.

Key insights:

• Life-course transitions can have long-term consequences for economic outcomes, and these effects vary across social groups

• Cultural norms around parenting indicate a general preference for an intensive parenting style, with high expectations placed on both mothers and fathers

Nico Mutzner took us on a fun ride with slides that detailed his trajectory from working an office job at Bombardier, to embracing academia after realizing his passion for learning and research. He studied criminology and sociology in England, focusing on the intersection of technology and society. 

His research now explores human-AI interaction and cooperation through experimental methods, including projects on societal acceptance of drones and negotiation games involving AI.  

Currently pursuing a PhD at the chair of Prof. Heiko Rauhut, he aims to understand how AI agents fit into social structures and influence human behavior in collaborative settings.

Prof. Dr. Marco Giesselmann shared his move from working as a Junior professor at the University of Bielefeld, where he faced challenges such as a high teaching load and vague career prospects, to the University of Zurich as a lecturer, where he has since been granted the title of Titularprofessor based on his academic merits. 

His current research interests include migration processes and how hosting societies respond to mass migration, the impact of family policies on individual living conditions, and the interpretation of regression coefficients for evaluating effect sizes. 

Already having gone through the experience of «Berufungsverfahren», he spoke about the importance of thorough preparation for the application process, and shared insights on how performance in these interviews can significantly influence career outcomes. 

As a surprise gift,  Marco offered teaching vouchers to help support his colleagues with their responsibilities during future applications. Thank you Marco!

«Meet the researcher» with Lea Jordan, Luke Stalley and Isabel Raabe

03.12.2025, 13:00-14:00
AND 4.55-457 (4th floor)
Snacks and dessert will be provided!

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