Sina Hardaker is a professor of anthropogeography at the Faculty of General Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies at Munich University of Applied Sciences. After studying in Germany and the UK and working as a regional sales manager in the retail industry, she earned her doctorate in the internationalization of Chinese food retail at Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg. Her current research examines the spatial implications of the platform economy, particularly in the context of cross-border e-commerce, digital trade centers, global production networks, and the Digital Silk Road. Since 2025, she has been leading the DFG project presented here, which deals with the implications of digital platforms on brick-and-mortar retail in Germany. 

Sarah Hauck completed her master's degree in applied human geography at the University of Würzburg in early 2026, where she had previously completed her bachelor's degree. During her studies, she worked for several years as a student assistant at the Chair of Economic Geography at the University of Würzburg and at the Higher State Planning Authority of the Lower Franconia administrative district. She currently works as a research assistant at Munich University of Applied Sciences, is pursuing a doctorate as part of the DFG project presented here, and also works as a state and regional planner for the government of Lower Franconia.

Paula Engel graduated from the Goetheschule Wetzlar in 2022 and, after a stay abroad, began her studies in Geography with a minor in Political and Social Studies at the University of Würzburg. There she gained her first practical experience in knowledge management as a student assistant at the student representation and then worked as a tutor in the lecture “Cartography and Geoinformation”. She is currently involved in research work as part of the DFG project presented here.

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