Katharina is a Professor of Supply Chain Management at the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST). Her work focuses on digitalisation, data transparency and resilience in supply chains, with a particular emphasis on practical approaches for small and medium-sized enterprises. Her goal is to translate research into actionable tools for companies and their suppliers.

After first joining the IfM as a visiting researcher in 2024, she returned for Easter Term 2026 to work on identifying energy waste by exploiting existing energy consumption and production data, an approach that has been applied to Swiss SMEs. Building on these applications, Katharina investigates common patterns across firms, compares her findings with IfM-CIS projects, and explores how this approach can be used by companies themselves and cascaded to their suppliers as a practical lever for reducing scope 3 emissions in global supply chains.

Katharina holds a degree (Dipl.-Ing.) in Industrial Engineering from Technische University Berlin (Germany) and a master’s degree (MSc) in Technology and Innovation Management from the University of Manchester (UK). She was awarded her PhD (Dr.-Ing.) in Quality Management by the Brandenburg University of Technology (Germany). Katharina combines her technical background with extensive industrial experience and enjoys working at the interface of processes, technology and people. She particularly values the diverse, international community and the complementary competences at the IfM, which align closely with her interests and with OST’s focus on applied, industry-oriented research.

Her recent activities include initiatives on supply chain excellence in Swiss SMEs and strengthening links between Cambridge and OST through teaching and outreach formats such as guest lectures and practitioner events.