Three new colleagues are joining the Research Promotion Service, bringing a wealth of experience and fresh perspectives to support researchers at Unifr. Welcome Marion, Joanna, and Antoine!

Marion Gartenmeister

At SPR, Marion is the primary contact person for funding opportunities outside of the usual national and international schemes, with a special focus on private foundations. Additionally, she also advises researchers at the newly established Faculty of Education on matters related to research funding.

Marion holds a PhD in Art History and a CAS in Research Management. She has worked at the University of Basel (affiliated with the NCCR eikones), the University of Fribourg, and spent nearly a decade at the Vitrocentre Romont, where she led research projects, curated exhibitions, and assumed administrative responsibilities. More recently, she worked at the Dean’s Office for research and development at the University of Teacher Education Fribourg, advising researchers and managing awarded grants throughout their lifecycle.

Joanna Menet

Joanna coordinates a project aimed at improving conditions for postdocs at Unifr. Her work includes expanding services for postdocs, developing a continuing education program (for postdocs and professors), and creating a central information platform. She collaborates with the Vice-Rectorate for young researchers and builds bridges with similar projects across Switzerland.

She holds an MA in Social Anthropology and Environmental Sciences (UZH) and a PhD in Social Sciences (UniNE). With many years of experience in national and European research projects, she knows the challenges young researchers face first-hand. As a freelance writing consultant, Joanna has been helping doctoral candidates approach writing with more confidence. Outside work, she enjoys dancing, hiking, and reading a good novel under a tree—when she's not busy learning new things from her young child.

Antoine Taillard

Antoine supports researchers applying to SNSF funding schemes, particularly in the humanities, theology, and social sciences. He also manages SPR’s LinkedIn and Bluesky accounts and coordinates the implementation of the Unifr CoARA action plan.

He holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Neuchâtel, where he also taught and organized international academic events. Alongside his training in philosophy, Antoine has a background in data science. He has developed a research project on AI explainability and currently consults for a company working to improve the quality of training data for generative AI models. When he’s not busy with grants and AI projects, he enjoys rock climbing and running tabletop roleplaying games.