From 2014 to 2025, the Doctoral Program “Ethics and Responsible Leadership in Business” at WCGE offered a structured, fully funded three-year training and research environment for emerging scholars in business ethics. Each year, a new cohort of PhDs joined the program and followed a comprehensive curriculum combining core courses, elective seminars, regular Jour Fixe meetings, research colloquia, and dedicated sessions for presenting work in progress.
Over the course of ten years, 42 doctoral researchers from 14 countries completed the program. Together, they carried out 31 application-oriented field projects, translating ethical theory into practical impact within companies and organizations. The program’s graduates have gone on to successful careers in business, public institutions, academia, and startups, where they contribute to embedding ethical principles in leadership and decision-making.
The academic excellence of the program is reflected in prestigious recognitions, including the Wolfgang Ritter Prize awarded to alumni Julia Grimm and Rebecca Rühle, and the Max Weber Prize for Business Ethics awarded to alumna Sabine Wiesmüller.
Transition to the Doctoral Academy (from 2024)
In 2024, the Doctoral Program evolved into the Doctoral Academy, a more flexible and inclusive model designed to respond to the growing diversity of research projects, disciplines, and international partnerships connected to WCGE. While the Doctoral Program operated in fixed three-year cohorts, the Doctoral Academy now offers modular participation, where doctoral candidates can join at different stages of their research. This evolution reflects WCGE’s commitment to shaping a dynamic research community, one that remains academically rigorous while addressing contemporary ethical challenges in a rapidly changing world.
Our Mission
- Promote interdisciplinary ethical research of high academic quality
- Support the personal and professional development of early-career researchers
- Bridge academic insights and societal impact through dialogue with practitioners
Alumni of the Doctoral Program:´(2014 - 2025)
Cohort 1
Dr. Fabian Simmank
Dr. Dr. Michaёl Suurendonk
Dr. Ingrid Panontongan
Dr. Kusi Appiah
Dr. Marcel Pillath
Cohort 2
Dr. Marco Möhrer
Dr. Linda Kannenberg
Dr. Simon Piest
Dr. Katharina de Biasi
Prof. Dr. Julia Grimm
Cohort 3
Dr. Elena Jakob
Dr. Sabine Wiesmüller
Prof. Dr. Rebecca Rühle
Dr. Andani Thakhathi
Cohort 4
Dr. Magdalena Wallkamm
Adrian Gombert
Dr. Raphael Ng
Dr. Nils Kruse
Dr. Benedikt Kirner
Cohort 5
Dr. Dijana Galijasevic
Dr. Lili Jassemi
Dr. Gonzalo Conti Perochena
Dr. Marie Schwimmer
Dr. Alexander Reese
Cohort 6
Dr. Felix Wittke
Dr. Christian Kroll
Prof. Dr. Moritz Appels
Dr. Hannah Schragmann
Cohort 7
Dr. Oleg Fedoseev
Dr. Taiwo Yussuff
Dr. Shayan Ali Khan
Dr. Emma van den Terrell
Cohort 8
Dr. Stephan Gebauer
Cassandra Grützner
Dr. Usochi Ilozumba
Artur Klingbeil
Cohort 9
Simon Merz
Dr. Manon Filler
Dr. Vittorio Cerruli
Christin Philipp
Dr. Georg Röder
Cohort 10
Dennis Hüper