Pappal Suneja Wins the 2024 DAAD Award
This year’s DAAD award went to doctoral candidate Pappal Suneja from India. He is being recognised for his outstanding commitment to social, societal, and intercultural issues at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.
Pappal Suneja completed his Master's degree at the »Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau«, where he studied »Design Research«. He has been working on his doctorate at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar’s professorship of Theory and History of Modern Architecture on the topic of »Modern Indian Architecture and the Emergence of a Post-Independence Discourse. The Case of Design Magazine (1957-1988)«. Suneja was nominated by Prof. Dr. Jasper Cepl from the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism and Ute Mai from the Bauhaus Research School. The nomination was based on his commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and a strong international research network at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.
As team leader of two research workshops, »Bauhaus & Beyond: A Global, Postcolonial Perspective« and »Gropius Protégés: Stimulating Architectural Modernism in India«, Pappal Suneja is focussed on the global reception and further development of Bauhaus ideas. The anthology »Charles Fabri: An Art Critic, Building Bridges between India and Europe« was published under his direction in March 2024 by the Bauhaus University Press and is dedicated to the work of the Hungarian-born art critic from 1956 to 1967. A second contribution titled »Bauhaus & Beyond: A Global, Postcolonial Perspective« will be published later this year by the student-run »LUCIA Verlag«.
Advocacy for Foreign Doctoral Candidates
In addition to his academic work, Pappal Suneja is also committed the interests of his fellow students: A member of the »Pro.Doc« Doctoral Council and the »Internationalen Ph.D. Netzwerks« (IPN), he actively promotes the interests of doctoral candidates in university committees. He also regularly organises events for doctoral candidates and new international students to meet and exchange ideas, contributing to their social and intercultural integration at the university. He has also offered several courses on architecture and design for international students as part of a teaching scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Bauhaus.Module, and the Bauhaus Spring School and Summer School at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. His next course on »Design as Information: Enhancing Communication and Research« will take place in March during the 2025 Bauhaus Spring School.
Academic Excellence and International Networking
In addition to his doctorate, Suneja was awarded a research fellowship from the German Historical Institute in London and is currently a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His international experience not only contributes to his research, but also enriches the community at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. His dissertation is expected to be completed in 2025.
About the DAAD Prize
The DAAD Prize is awarded to international students and doctoral candidates each year as part of the »STIBET I« funding programme and winners receive a prize of 1,000 euros. The prize is awarded to students who, in addition to outstanding academic achievements, also display special intercultural or social commitment. Candidates are selected based on nominations by lecturers and employees at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.