Leonie holds a M.A. in International Development Studies with a focus on Latin America from Philipps-University Marburg and a B.A. in Social Studies with a focus on Intercultural Relations from the University of Applied Sciences Fulda, including study semesters at Universidad del Norte (Colombia) and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. She is the Deputy Coordinator of the M.A. Development Management and works on her doctoral research around "Knowledge Sharing in Development Cooperation" while studying the PhD International Development Studies at IEE. Before joining IEE as a research fellow in November 2021, Leonie S. Grunau had gained first working experience with GIZ (a programme to strengthen the review process for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development), the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Department for Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico), Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Mexico-City (International and Economic Dialog) and the Latin American NGO TECHO.

• Knowledge Sharing in Development Cooperation
• Political Settlements of Extractivism in Latin America, especially Mexico

ORCID

Supervision of Master theses (MADM programmes at Ruhr-University Bochum and the University of the Western Cape, South Africa):

• Müller, Sanja (2024): Strengthening collective action of youth through youth leadership development programmes – the case of the “jeunes leaders du Bénin” programme of the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation in Benin.
• Thompson, Prince (2024): Access to reproductive health services in Ghana. The role of Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR): A case study of Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem (KEEA) in Central Region Ghana.
• Weber, Selina (2024): The influence of global partnerships between sport for development programmes on the development of life skills.