Doctoral Researcher Kristof Heidemann is the next featured guest in the Faculty of Law’s 'Researcher in the Spotlight' series.
Name: Kristof Heidemann
Position at the Faculty: Doctoral Researcher
Degrees: First State Examination in Law in Germany (Erstes Juristisches Staatsexamen)
Fields of interest: Constitutional law, with particular focus on the protection of democratic rule against interferences
Describe your career path. What led you to where you are today?
My legal path started at the University of Göttingen in Germany, but my fascination with matters of politics and constitutional law began even earlier and became the focal point of my interest during a school internship I was allowed to undertake at the German Federal Parliament.
My studies in Germany shaped my traditional legal thinking and taught me a certain resilience; at least equally consequential for my journey were a few very lucky circumstances that happened during my studies abroad.
In 2020, I was allowed to study an Erasmus Semester at the University of Bergen in Norway, one of the very few universities still taking exchange-students in during Covid, and in 2023, I got the chance to spend a semester at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in Japan. As far as this is possible for someone already in his 20s, the experiences turned out to be quite transformative and laid the ground for my decision to decide to also pursue my PhD abroad. In particular, Prof. Nobuo Haruna inspired me during two memorable courses in Tokyo on the challenges of democratic governance and the connected role of geopolitics to develop some loose ideas for my own thesis into a more concrete plan and to give academia a serious chance.
Afterwards, I applied to Prof. Janne Salminen as my first supervisor here in Turku, who somehow saw some potential in my research proposal, even though I realize in hindsight that it was at that stage in many ways only an unstructured and messy assembly of thoughts, rather than a coherent project, and since autumn 2024, I have been working in Turku on my thesis.
What projects are you currently working on?
Currently, I am trying to finish my second dissertation article, and I am preparing for my upcoming research visit at the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada under the host-supervision of Prof. Heidi Tworek.
Have your interests evolved since you finished your studies?
While the field of interest has stayed the same, through the studying process, I have started to acquire more of an appreciation for the scope and multifaceted nature of the subject. Methodologically, during the process of trying to develop a sufficient understanding of the prior related research and while working together with my second supervisor Dr. Hanna Malik, my appreciation of the insights gained through well-done comparative research has increased immensely. On the substantive side, I used to underappreciate, e.g., the ongoing technological transformations, especially in the media realm, the inherent predispositions of the human mind and the advancing erosion of state power itself as contributing factors to the current crisis of democratic governance.
If you were not a researcher, what would your profession be?
Based on the influence of a high-school teacher, I seriously considered becoming a movie/ theatre director a long time ago, but when the decision regarding my career had to be made, I chose the path of studying law, which, in my mind, seemed to be the more straightforward avenue to work towards societal progress, and I haven't really looked back since. If I were to change my profession today, the most realistic way would be to become a lawyer; however, more hopefully, I would attempt to become a journalist, diplomat, or hiking guide.
What inspires you?
Borrowed from a wiser man than me, I think that inspiration and wisdom cannot be imparted or taught, and if one tries to do it nevertheless, it usually sounds like foolishness to everyone else, but if I think about moments of inspiration, these memories are almost always connected to either tennis, books, movies, music, getting lost in the expansiveness of nature or first and foremost talking to inspiring people, especially close friends.
If you'd like, feel free to share how you've adapted to life in Turku and Finland, and the Calonia community.
Thankfully, since arriving in Turku, I have been fortunate enough to meet many great people, both inside and outside of Calonia, who, more than anything else, have helped me adapt to living in Finland.
