The social scientist Dr. Eirliani Abdul Rahman moved to the University of Mannheim at the beginning of March 2026 with a grant from the Baden-Württemberg Foundation. The Programme for International Academic Freedom is supporting them with around 1.8 million euros for an initial period of three years, with the option of an extension for a further three years.

The Singapore-based researcher resigned from Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council in 2022 in protest against the sharp rise in hate speech following Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform. She holds a PhD in Public Health from Harvard University and previously worked for over a decade with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi in India against child trafficking and child sexual abuse.

Abdul Rahman is now conducting research at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES). In her project “Trafficking Risks: AI for Proactive Protection” (TRAPP), she is developing a prototype for an AI-powered tool by the end of 2027 that will identify patterns of child trafficking in India and support law enforcement agencies in prevention. A pilot project is currently underway in the state of Odisha.

The researcher justified her move to Germany with increasing restrictions on academic freedom in the USA after the new administration under Donald Trump took office in January 2025. In Mannheim, she feels safe and free in her work for the first time in a long time.

“I’ve only been in Mannheim for a few days and feel completely different. It’s just reassuring not to have to be on my guard all the time and not to have to constantly think about whether a new presidential decree affects me and restricts my freedom,” says the Singaporean and former diplomat

She is carrying out the project together with Prof. Marc Ratkovic, Chair of Social Data Science at the University of Mannheim. Ratkovic, who himself moved from Princeton University to Mannheim in 2023, had nominated her for the funding program.

Dr. Abdul Rahman is considered an expert in online safety and digital harassment. She was formerly a Singapore diplomat and worked at the embassies in Berlin and Delhi, among other places. After retiring from Twitter, she conducted research as a Research Affiliate at the University of Cambridge’s Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy and as a Senior Fellow at Georgetown University.

The Baden-Württemberg Foundation and the University of Mannheim see the funding as a sign of the protection of academic freedom and the attractiveness of Germany as a research location.

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

Gender Notice. The personal designations used in this text always refer equally to female, male and diverse persons. Double/triple naming and gendered designations are used for better readability. ected.