Speakers

Antonia Muhr is a visiting PhD researcher at the Government Outcomes Lab at the Blavatnik School of Government and a PhD candidate at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Her research focuses on philanthropy, impact measurement and cross-sector collaboration, with an emphasis on foundations and Social Impact Bonds. During her time at the GO Lab, Antonia is working on a project that uses a qualitative research design to investigate the factors that shape the development and implementation of Social Impact Bonds in continental Europe.

Alongside her research, Antonia works as a project manager for the European Research Network on Philanthropy (ERNOP), where she supports ERNOP’s research and communication initiatives. Previously, she worked as a consultant, advising foundations on measuring and evaluating social and ecological impact.

Antonia holds an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Heidelberg and a B.A. in Sociology and Communication Studies from the University of Münster. In addition to her focus on philanthropy and outcomes-based contracting, Antonia has a strong interest in Central and Eastern Europe. Her undergraduate and PhD studies are supported by scholarships from the German Ministry of Education and Research.

Thomas is a PhD candidate at the Public Governance Institute, KU Leuven. His research interests include the governance of collaboration between public administration and contractors as well as the design of procurement processes and systems. His dissertation builds on transaction cost theory and political control theory to explain strategic public procurement. He analyzes big procurement data (numerical and text) and conducts experiments.

Thomas holds a Master of Science in Public Sector Innovation and eGovernance from KU Leuven, University of Münster and Tallinn University of Technology, graduating summa cum laude with the congratulations of the examination committee. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Freie Universität Berlin. Prior to his PhD, Thomas worked as an analyst on large-scale IT projects at national and European Union authorities.