Diversity in Academia – Perspectives of a First-Generation Academic

Hybrid Event with Prof. Dr. Michael Grünberger (Bucerius Law School) and researchers from Max Planck Law 

Monday, 4 May 2026 at 12:30 p.m. (CEST)

About the Speaker:

Michael Grünberger is a German lawyer and academic specialising in private law, technology law, and non-discrimination law, among other areas. After completing his legal training at the University of Cologne and abroad, he worked as a professor, vice dean, and dean at the Faculty of Law and Economics at the University of Bayreuth. Since 1 October 2023, he has been President of Bucerius Law School, where he is driving forward the modernisation of legal education through innovative study formats, open learning environments, and a clear commitment to equity and inclusion.

About the Topic:

In a short lecture titled "Diversity Stories of a Legal Scholar", Professor Michael Grünberger, President of Bucerius Law School, will share insights into his personal experience as a first-generation academic. Having grown up in modest circumstances as the child of a single mother on a small farm in South Tyrol, he knows from personal experience how crucial equal opportunities are for academic achievement. That is precisely why he is now committed to ensuring that everyone has access to excellent education—regardless of their background, gender, sexual orientation, or class.
Through the lens of educational sociology, Professor Grünberger will reflect on his own diversity stories—exploring where exclusion mechanisms operate, what facilitated his advancement, and what hindered it. He will also highlight how privileged his journey still was, despite the challenges. Rather than offering a detached analysis, he will speak deliberately from a diversity perspective first, and then—as the same person—take on the university leadership perspective. After all, educational advancement is always more than just an individual success story. His lecture invites us to understand how personal experience and institutional responsibility are inseparably connected when it comes to creating genuine equal opportunities in higher education.
The lecture will be followed by a moderated roundtable discussion with all participating researchers from Max Planck Law. This protected space will allow for open dialogue, questions, and the sharing of personal experiences, offering a valuable opportunity to reflect together on the challenges and possibilities of building a more diverse and inclusive academic community.
 

The event will be held as a hybrid event, i.e. you are welcome to participate either in person at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law, Mittelweg 187, 20148 Hamburg, or via Zoom.

If you choose to participate online, you will receive the login details the day before the event. Please confirm upon registration that you agree to the use of Zoom and that you will not record the event. By attending the event you confirm that you have read and agreed to Zoom’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

If you choose to participate in person, please let us know in case your plans change or you are unable to attend at short notice.