Despite the last-minute absence of one examiner due to illness early Tuesday morning Franziska Frese successfully completed her doctoral project at the markstones Institute on Tuesday. Thanks to the quick and flexible support of Prof. Dr. Martin Missong and the Examination Office, Dr. Johannes Voshaar was quickly appointed as a replacement examiner, allowing the colloquium to proceed as planned. We would also like to thank the second examiner, Prof. Dr. J?rg Freiling, and the examiner, Dr. Michael Schade, for their exemplary commitment, which contributed significantly to the success of the doctoral project.

In her doctoral thesis, Franziska Frese, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Christoph Burmann, focused primarily on virtual and AI influencers. Not least through presentations at numerous major international conferences and a stay abroad in Australia lasting several months, Dr. Frese succeeded in skilfully incorporating the latest insights from global research into her doctoral thesis. In addition, her part-time work at a large Bremen-based agency for virtual influencers ensured that her highly innovative research findings were highly relevant to practice and feasible.

After passing the examination, she celebrated her successful doctorate together with close relatives, friends and the markstones team. The entire team at the markstones Institute regrets Dr Frese's planned departure and wishes her all the best for her professional and personal future!