Emerging Professionals
Members
Danica Petrović, M.Sc., is a doctoral researcher at the Centre for Media and Journalism Studies at the University of Groningen. She studied architecture at Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus–Senftenberg (as a DAAD scholar) and the University of Belgrade. Her Master’s thesis on the L’Aiglon cinema and hotel complex in Berlin-Wedding was awarded the 2024 Student Prize by the Berlin Heritage Authority. In the same year, she was recognized by Tagesspiegel as one of the “100 Most Influential Minds in Berlin’s Science Community.” She has been involved in several research projects in Serbia, Germany, and Montenegro focusing on architectural heritage. In addition, she has contributed to the conservation efforts of some of the heritage listed buildings in these countries and exhibited her work across Europe. Since 2020 she has been a member of ICOMOS Serbia and, since 2022, a member and spokeperson for the EPWG working group within ICOMOS Germany.
Katharina Bach, M.Sc., studied Built Cultural Heritage at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden, as well as Art History and Near Eastern Archaeology in Mainz. She also completed pedagogical training. During her studies, she gained practical experience as a student assistant at the architectural firm Kaffenberger, focusing on construction management, documentation, and building historical analysis, and as a tutor in design. Today, she works as a research associate at the World Heritage Office Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt, where she is responsible for the content and organizational implementation of measures from the nomination dossier and management plan. Her focus is on sustainable mediation concepts for World Heritage sites and highlighting intangible values in the context of built cultural heritage. In addition to her professional activities, she is involved in professional networks such as ICOMOS and the International Association of World Heritage Professionals e.V. As a founding member of the Baukultur network, she advocates for interdisciplinary exchange and has been giving regular lectures on cultural interpretation at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences since 2022.
Marie Baudis studied Art History at the University of Münster. As an intern at ICOMOS Germany, she supported the first workshop of the ICOMOS-IPCC-DBU project on "Cultural Heritage and Climate Change" in 2021 and subsequently continued to be involved in the project as an ICOMOS member. Following the project, she co-founded the ICOMOS Climate Change Working Group with Constanze Fuhrmann in 2024. Currently, she works at the LWL-Denkmalpflege, Landschafts- und Baukultur in Westfalen in the Department of Urban Development and Landscape Culture, focusing on cultural landscape development. Since autumn 2024, she has been a board member of ICOMOS Germany.
Marie Enders studied architecture at RWTH Aachen University, including a guest semester at ETH Zurich. During her studies, she worked as a student assistant at the Chair of Building Theory and Design Fundamentals and in various architectural offices in Vienna, Munich, Berlin, and Ghent. Since 2020, she has been researching and teaching at the Chair of Urban Design and the Institute of European Urban Studies as a research associate, focusing on urban research and cultural anthropology. Since 2021, she has led the institute's specialist group "Urban Design, Building Culture, and Urban Monument Preservation." She has been the coordinator of the "UNESCO Chair for Cultural Heritage and Urbanism" since 2023.
Sebastian Fernando Jungblut studied Built Cultural Heritage at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden, both at the Bachelor's and Master's levels. Born in Costa Rica and raised in various Central and South American countries, he developed an early appreciation for intercultural exchange. Today, he works at the Darmstadt-based architectural firm planinghaus architekten BDA, dealing with a wide range of UNESCO-related assessments—from heritage impact assessments for an extension to the Residenz Ensemble in Schwerin to tentative list applications for large arch bridges of the 19th century, and currently, the development of a management plan for Cologne Cathedral. Although his original career aspiration to become a pilot was not realized, he channels this passion through architecture and developed a conservation plan for the two inner-city airports of Berlin, Tempelhof and Tegel, in his Master's thesis. Sebastian has been a member of ICOMOS since 2024.
Sung-Yong Kim, M.Sc., is a research associate in the Custody at the Institute for Economic and Technical History at TU Bergakademie Freiberg. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from Bauhaus University Weimar and a Master's degree in Industrial Culture from TU Bergakademie Freiberg. He worked as an architect at Kahlfeldt Architekten in Berlin and then studied industrial archaeology/industrial culture under Prof. Helmuth Albrecht to deepen his knowledge in the field of industrial monument preservation. His recent publications include his Master's thesis "Industrialized Architecture: Industrial and Commercial Buildings in the GDR Using the Example of the 'VEB Metalleichtbaukombinat'" (2024). He was involved in research projects funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the International Centre for Interpretation and Presentation of UNESCO (WHIPIC). Since 2022, he has been a member of ICOMOS Germany and ICOMOS Korea, participating in the EPWG working group in both countries and the Industrial Culture working group in ICOMOS Korea.
Yannick Ley studied architecture at RWTH Aachen University and Sapienza University of Rome. He completed his Master's degree in 2020 with a thesis on the high altar of Scherpenheuvel as part of the DFG-funded research project "Scherpenheuvel—Church and City in the Heptagon." Currently, he is pursuing his Ph.D. as a research associate at the Chair of Architectural History at RWTH Aachen University under Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Naujokat, focusing on the use of digital documentation methods to study the adaptive reuse of ancient buildings in Rome, using the churches San Lorenzo in Miranda, San Nicola in Carcere, and Sant’Urbano alla Caffarella as examples. Yannick Ley has been a member of ICOMOS Germany since 2023 and is involved in the EPWG working group and the Climate Change Working Group.
Temirlan Nurpeissov has amassed a rich educational background over the years. Originally from Kazakhstan, he has lived and studied in the USA, Cyprus, Italy, Australia, and the Netherlands. His professional experience ranges from architectural work to research and teaching. Throughout his global journey, Temirlan has acquired a broad spectrum of language skills: Russian (native), English, German, Italian, and Kazakh. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at the Technical University of Munich at the Chair of Recent Building Heritage under Prof. Dr. Andreas Putz. His dissertation focuses on dealing with the Soviet architectural heritage in Kazakhstan.
Diana Polanski, M.Sc., studied architecture at RWTH Aachen University and TU Vienna. Her focus lies on the interplay between urban planning and architecture, particularly on transformation culture and spatial appropriation. In 2024, she completed her studies with a Master's thesis titled "Architecture of Change: Remont Culture in Almaty," in which she examined the transformation culture and processes of prefabricated buildings in Kazakhstan. During her studies, she worked on various research projects, including at the Chair of Planning Theory at RWTH Aachen, the Penzing study at the transparadiso office in Vienna, and architectural projects in various countries. Currently, she works in a Munich-based office specializing in existing buildings and monument preservation. Since 2024, she has also been a member of ICOMOS Germany.
Can Öktem is studying Architectural and Art History at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus–Senftenberg. From 2023 to 2024, he worked as a student assistant at the Graduate School “Cultural and Technical Values of Historical Buildings,” funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). His studies focus on current challenges in monument preservation, particularly on how theoretical concepts can be translated into practical solutions. As of 2024, he is working as a tutor at the Department of Fine Arts at the same university. He has been a member of ICOMOS Germany since 2023 and was elected auditor in 2025.
