Ruth's research is at the interface of policies, law and regulations of science, technology and innovation (STI) and sustainable development. Specializing on southern systems of innovation, she focuses on intellectual property law and intellectual property policy processes. Ruth worked extensively on STI in global politics and multi-level governance, as well as on South-South and North-South science and technology cooperation.

Ruth works as a DAAD lecturer at the South African-German Centre for Development Research at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, since December 2019. Previously she joined the IEE as a research fellow, starting in May 2013. She is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Bonn since 2016, Associated Ph.D. IDS student at the IEE, and associated researcher at the Intellectual Property (IP) Unit, University of Cape Town, South Africa, where she spent a research period of 16 months (2017/2018) as a scholar financed by the European Commission. 

• International Relations
• Rising Powers
• Intellectual Property Policies

ORCID

• (Winter Term 2022/2023) Institutions & Development, MA Seminar, MADM, IEE, Ruhr-University Bochum
• (Winter Termn 2020/2021) Qualitative Research Methods, together with Dr. Anne Siebert, MA Seminar, MADM, IEE, Ruhr-University Bochum and South African-German Centre for Development Research, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town
• (Winter Term 2020/2021) Institutions and Development, MA Seminar, MADM, IEE, Ruhr-University Bochum and South African-German Centre for Development Research, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town
• (Second Semester 2020) Research Paper Writing, Module in Honours in Development Management, together with Lauren Tavener-Smith, ISD, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town
• (First Semester 2020) Research Methods, Module in Honours in Development Management, together with Shamiso Mandioma, ISD, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town
• (Summer Term 2019) Public Policy and Reform Management, MA Seminar, MADM, together with Dr. Elkhan Sadik-Zada, IEE, Ruhr-University Bochum
• (Summer Term 2018/19) Institutions & Development, MA Seminar, MADM, IEE, Ruhr-University Bochum
• (Summer Term 2018) Institutions & Development, MA Seminar, MADM, South-African German Centre for Development Research, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town
• (Winter Term 2016/17) Institutions & Development, MA Seminar, MADM, IEE, Ruhr-University Bochum
• (Winter Term 2016/17) Wissen als Ware – Geistige Eigentumsrechte in der globalen politischen Ökonomie. Proseminar im BA-Studiengang, IPWS Bonn (Blockveranstaltung WiSe 2016/17)
• (Summer Term 2016) Institutions & Development, MA seminar, MADM, South-African German Centre for Development Research, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town
• (Summer Term 2015) Public Policy and Reform Management, MA seminar, MADM, IEE, Ruhr-University Bochum
• (Summer Term 2015) Public Policy and Reform Management, MA Seminar, MADM, South-African German Centre for Development Research, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town
• (Winter Term 2014/15) Public Sector Management, MA Seminar (with Anne Siebert), MADM, IEE, Ruhr-University Bochum
• (Winter Term 2014/15) Institutions and Development, MA Block Seminar, MADM, IEE, Ruhr-University Bochum)
• (Summer Term 2014) Institutions and Development, MA Block Seminar (with Dr. Meik Nowak), MADM, South-African German Centre for Development Research, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town
• (Summer Term 2014) Die internationale Regulierung geistiger Eigentumsrechte – Strukturen, Konfliktlinien, Wandel, BA seminar, Institute for Political Science and Sociology, University of Bonn
• (Summer Term 2013) Research Logic, MA seminar (together with Stefan Buchholz and Anne Siebert), MADM, IEE, Ruhr-University Bochum
• (Winter Term 2013/14) Geistiges Eigentum in der globalen politischen Ökonomie - Strukturen, Wandel, Konfliktlinien, BA seminar, Institute for Political Science and Sociology, University of Bonn
• (Summer Term 2013) Die Governance von Technologie und Innovation, BA seminar, Institute for Political Science and Sociology, University of Bonn

Supervision of Master theses (MADM programme at Ruhr-University Bochum and the University of the Western Cape):

• Trina Mudsuddy: Foreign Aid and Principal-Agent Asymmetries - The Case of Youth Organizations in Bangladesh (MA Thesis, IEE Bochum/South African-German Centre for Development Research UWC, Cape Town).
• Eric Nordjo: The Role of Local Government Policies in the Transition towards Zero Poverty: On Efficiencies of the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) in Ghana (MA Thesis, IEE Bochum/South African-German Centre for Development Research, UWC, Cape Town, qualitative research).
• Eni Mazniku: Examining Citizen Participation in Urban Governance in the Context of Business Improvement District Projects: A Case Study of Tirana TID, Albania (MA Thesis, IEE, Ruhr University Bochum).
• Penpitcha Thammasith Boonloy: Analyzing the process of development cooperation as an instrument of foreign policy. The case study of Thailand (2/2018, MA Thesis, IEE, Ruhr University Bochum).
• Joy Muthanje Mwaniki: Analyzing the Role of Innovation Hubs in Inclusion: A Study of Innovation Hubs and Female Entreprebneurs in Kigali, Ruanda. (MA Thesis, IEE Bochum).
• Irina Ruoff: From open defacation to improved sanitation and hygiene. An evaluation of UNICEF's "Community Approaches To Sanitation" on social norms and behavior change in rural Rajasthan, India (MA Thesis).
• Leonie Stapelfeldt: The Protection of Rooibos. A Display of the Small Scale Rooibos Farmers' Perception regarding South Africa's first Geographical Indication, its Reasons, and their Resulting Counter-Strategy (11/2015, Master Thesis, IEE, Ruhr University Bochum).
• Sabrina Locuratolo: Workers of Fair-Trade and non-Fair Trade Certificated Rose Plantations in Ecuador. A Comparison of Workers Capabilities on Working Conditions and Social Development (12/2017, MA Thesis, IEE).
• Gweze John Jere: Examining the Opportunities and Challenges of Integrating non-state Actors in the African Union Peace and Security Architecture Programmes (MA Thesis Bochum).