Ina-Maria Maahs studied German Language and Literature, and Social Sciences at the Humboldt University of Berlin. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she taught German as a foreign language at a Chinese state school. While teaching, she started a postgraduate distance learning programme in German as a Foreign Language, which she completed after returning to Germany. She received both her master’s degree in Political Science and her doctorate in Political Theory and History of Ideas from the University of Cologne. At the Mercator Institute, she holds the position of Deputy Head of the Department of Language and Professional Development. She is also the contact person for the continuing education programme German as a Second Language. Her current work focuses on German as a second language, multilingualism, language skills assessment, and language integrated learning in social sciences.