28.11.2025
Succesful PhD Defense Day on the Topic "Talent Identification and Development in Sport"
On Monday, 17th of November 2025, Fynn Bergmann, Luca Hauser, and Martin Leo Reinhard successfully defended their cumulative doctoral dissertations.
As part of the PhD defense day on Talent Identification and Development in Sport, three doctoral defenses took place in the Fürstenzimmer at Hohentübingen Castle. Around 80 guests attended the event, including family members as well as long-standing project partners from the German Football Association (DFB) and the VfB Stuttgart 1893 Academy. Other distinguished guests included Honorary Professor Prof. Dr. Hans Dieter Hermann, former Visiting Professor Prof. Donna O’Connor (University of Sydney), former Head of the Department Prof. Dr. Hartmut Gabler, as well as Klaus Willimczik and Dietmar Pollmann (both formerly of Bielefeld University).
The dissertation of Fynn Bergmann is entitled "Fostering Youth Soccer Players’ Action Competence through Learning-Supportive Coaching and Learning-Oriented Assessment – An Investigation within the German Talent Development Program". The individual studies examine how learning processes among youth soccer players can be effectively supported within the context of talent development. The dissertation was supervised by Prof. Dr. Oliver Höner and NGL Dr. Svenja Wachsmuth. The reviewers were Prof. Dr. Oliver Höner and Prof. Dr. David L. Mann. The examination committee was chaired by Prof.in Dr. Yolanda Demetriou-Rinderknecht.
The dissertation of Luca Hauser is entitled "Exploring Functional and Dysfunctional Features of Talent Development Environments in German Olympic and Paralympic Sports – Implications for the Holistic Development of Elite Youth Athletes". His research investigates functional and dysfunctional characteristics of different talent development environments in German elite youth sport. The dissertation was supervised by NGL Dr. Svenja Wachsmuth and Prof. Dr. Oliver Höner. The reviewers were NGL Dr. Svenja Wachsmuth and Prof.in Dr. Yolanda Demetriou-Rinderknecht, while Prof. Dr. Augustin Kelava served as chair of the examination committee.
The dissertation of Martin Leo Reinhard is entitled "Assessing cognitive performance factors in elite youth soccer: Evaluation of generic and soccer-specific testing approaches considering new technologies in the context of talent diagnosis". His research focused on evaluating the psychometric properties of innovative cognitive assessment methods and examining the relevance of different cognitive performance factors in elite youth soccer. The dissertation was supervised and reviewed by Prof. Dr. Oliver Höner and Prof. Dr. Daniel Memmert. Prof. Dr. Augustin Kelava also chaired the examination committee.
The Department of Sport Psychology and Research Methods, together with the members of the examination committees, warmly congratulates Fynn Bergmann, Luca Hauser, and Martin Leo Reinhard on their outstanding academic achievements and wishes them every success in their future careers and research endeavors.
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