Research stay report by Max Wrobel

We invite you to read the research visit report written by Max Wrobel, who spent the last few months at our Center as a Visiting Scholar.

Research stay report:

My 2 ½-month research stay in Wrocław started on 8/1/2023 and ended on 10/13/23. During this time I spent in Poland one of the most interesting, inspiring and productive times of my professional life. I was also able to gain many new impressions in my free time.

From the very beginning, the team at the Digital Justice Center was very helpful, warm and curious in welcoming me, despite the limited university activities due to the semester break. Especially the student staff made my stay as comfortable as possible, be it by welcoming me at the train station and accompanying me to my stay at the Ołówek Hall of Residence or during the visit of a Polish criminal case at the Wroclaw District Court. A unique opportunity – together with a colleague from the DJC – and Karolina was to visit an autopsy at the Wrocław forensic department.

At the end of August, I also visited Kraków and the Auschwitz Memorial, and spent a weekend with my brother in the lively and exciting Ukrainian city of Lviv, where the roots of today’s Unwersytet Wrocław lie. In my free time, I was able to explore the natural surroundings together with a Polish friend, for example with a bike tour to a hidden lake and a stand up paddling tour on the Odra River. In addition, my roommate in Ołówek, with whom I fortunately quickly made friends, took me as a guest to a football match of the Wrocław Panthers for free. It was also no problem to take a work colleague from Cologne with me to the institute to work together for a day.

In my last week I shared with the team my reflections on “IT Corporations Assistance to Core Crimes – How to hold the CEOs liable” as an excerpt from my PhD project in a lecture. This was the first moment I was able to present my main ideas in English in front of a professional audience – an incredibly helpful opportunity for which I am very grateful and which has greatly enriched my PhD project.

This time will shape my professional as well as my very personal life forever. I thank Karolina and her team for the wonderful experience and I am already looking forward to the next visit in hopefully near future. Thank you very much!