Theresa Schwarzkopf completed her Bachelor's degree at the Institute for Theatre, Film and Media Studies at the University of Vienna including an Erasmus+ semester at the Institute for Theatre Studies at the University of Leipzig. This was followed by a Master's degree in Theatre Studies at the University of Leipzig during which she was employed as a research assistant and tutor. Since November 2023 she has been working as a PhD student at the University of Bern in the SNF-funded research project «History of Theatre Studies – Swiss/Austrian Networks and Contexts (HoTS)». She is investigating the re-orientation of theatre studies in the context of the Cold War in Switzerland and Austria in the 1950s–1970s. Alongside her studies Theresa gained diverse experience as an assistant director, assistant producer and assistant dramaturg in the independent scene as well as at the municipal theatre Schauspiel Leipzig.