October 2026 | Team Member Departure
September 2026 | Menntakvika
We had the opportunity to present first findings from our research at this year’s Menntavika, the conference of the School of Education at the University of Iceland. Beyond sharing our own work, the conference offered a great chance to connect with fellow researchers and engage in valuable discussions and conversations. The conference program is available here: Dagskrá • Menntakvika 2026.
September 2026 | Team Meeting in Iceland
Our team came together for an internal project meeting at the University of Iceland. The primary focus of the meeting was to review the fieldwork for our two large-scale intervention studies and to develop plans for the data analyses. Our collective discussions were productive and generated new ideas for the project’s next steps. Beyond the scientific agenda, the meeting also provided an opportunity to strengthen personal connections within the team. A visit to the Laugarás Lagoon created a perfect setting for us to continue our discussions and exchange more ideas. Overall, the meeting was both productive and enjoyable, reinforcing the connections that drive our project and helping us prepare for the research work ahead.
September 2026 | New Team Member
We are happy to welcome Eszter Czibor as a new member of our team. Eszter joins the project as a researcher and brings expertise in applied microeconomics and experimental research design. Eszter received a PhD from the University of Amsterdam and has formerly worked as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Chicago and held senior research positions at policy consultancies and think tanks. Within our project, her responsibilities will include data management. We are excited to have Eszter on board and look forward to the valuable contributions that will support the success of the project.
September 2026 | New Team Member
We are pleased to announce that Kim Pawlinski joined our team. Kim is a master’s student in behavioral data science at the University of Duisburg-Essen and holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology. As part of the Erasmus program, she is working as a research intern in the EDUCHANGE project at the University of Iceland. With her specialization in survey methodology and quantitative sociology, she contributes to our project evaluating intervention effects using behavioral survey data.
September 2026 | Conference Participation: TiY 2026
From September 9–11, 2026, the 33rd Annual Workshop of the European Research Network on Transitions in Youth (TiY 2026) took place at the University of Mannheim, Germany. This year’s workshop was held under the theme “Risks, Resilience and Opportunities: Youth Transitions in a Changing World”.
David participated in the conference and presented in the session on Health and Well-being.
August 2026 | Conference Participation: ACES 2026
From August 26–28, 2026, the 8th Annual Conference of Experimental Sociology (ACES) took place at Sciences Po in Paris, France.
David chaired the session Field Experiments in Education on August 27, presenting two research contributions:
“Attenuating the Conditional Migrant Advantage? Experimental Evidence on University Applications in Denmark” (Thomas Zimmermann & David Reimer)
“The Take Up of Free Counseling at the College Transition: Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Evidence” (Francisco Flores & David Reimer)
August 2026 | End of Data Collection
The process of collecting data and implementing interventions at the transition to secondary education has been completed in Denmark, Germany, Hungary, and Iceland.
November 2025 | Field Start in Germany & Hungary
We started the data collection and intervention at the transition to secondary education in Germany and Hungary.
September 2025 | New Team Member
We are happy to announce that Ólöf Ragna Einarsdóttir (University of Iceland) joined our team. Ólöf works as a project manager at the Educational Research Institute, where she has experience supporting academic staff in their research projects, including study design, data collection, and the administration of school-based surveys. She joins the EDUCHANGE team as a research assistant and will be responsible for the coordination and implementation of the EDUCHANGE study in Icelandic primary schools.
April 2025 | New Team Member
We are happy to announce that Dr. Antal Ertl (CERS – Institute of Economics) joined our team. Antal is a behavioral and experimental economist with a keen interest in empirical analysis. His research ranges from running experiments to analyzing experimental data with modern econometric tools. He is interested in how economic preferences shape our decisions, as well as our educational and labor-market outcomes.
March 2025 | Field Start in Hungary
In March we started the data collection and intervention in Hungary.
February 2025 | Field Start in Iceland
In February we started the data collection and intervention in Iceland.
February 2025 | Team Meeting in Iceland
In February all country teams came to Iceland to discuss the design of the EDUCHANGE study at the transition from primary to secondary education.
December 2024 | Field Start in Germany & Denmark
In December we started the data collection and intervention in Germany and Denmark.
October 2024 | A quick note on the spectacular views we have at the University of Iceland
September 2024 | New Team Member
We are happy to announce that Lenette Møller Jensen (Aarhus University) joined our team. In recent years, Lenette has successfully supported researchers focusing on educational inequality in both national projects and large-scale international assessments. She joins the EDUCHANGE team as a research assistant and will be responsible for coordination and implementation of the EDUCHANGE study in Denmark.
September 2024 | New Team Member
We are happy to announce that Dr. Francisco Pablo Flores Taipe (University of Potsdam) joined our team. Francisco’s research focuses on understanding how formal or informal knowledge acquisition influences individuals’ beliefs, preferences, and behavior. He joins the EDUCHANGE team as a postdoctoral researcher and will be responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of the multimedia tools for the planned interventions.
August 2024 | Cooperation Agreement between EDUCHANGE and Ministry of Education
We are proud to announce that the Icelandic Ministry of Education and the University of Iceland signed a cooperation agreement with the EDUCHANGE research project.
Please find more information on the university hompage.
June 2024 | Video Shooting at University of Potsdam
Each EDUCHANGE country team came to Potsdam to supervise the shooting of the role model videos for the planned intervention in upper secondary education. We would like to thank the Center for Information Technology and Media Management at the Potsdam University for a great day in their studios. Thanks also to all the role model students who have travelled to Potsdam from Iceland, Denmark, Hungary, and Germany to support the EDUCHANGE research project.
May 2024 | New Team Member
We are happy to announce that Dr. Markus Kohlmeier (University of Iceland) joined our team. Markus recently defended his cumulative dissertation entitled “Aiming High. Essays on the Challenges of Upward Track Mobility into German Academic Upper Secondary Education.” He joins the EDUCHANGE team as a postdoctoral researcher and will develop, coordinate, and evaluate the experimental study focused on the transition from upper secondary education to tertiary education.
April 2024 | Advisory Board Meeting in Iceland
In April all country teams came to Iceland to have the opportunity to discuss the EDUCHANGE study design with the EDUCHANGE advisory board consisting of renowned experts: Michelle Jackson, Stanford University and Jani Erola, University of Turku – both experts in sociological comparative stratification research, Benjamin Castleman, University of Virginia – expert in experimental behavioral economics, Sif Einarsdóttir, and Kristjana Stella Blöndal, University of Iceland and Rie Thomsen, Aarhus University – all experts in career guidance.
