On July 1, 2016, Professor Joan DeBardeleben returned from sabbatical leave, during which she spent three months (January-April 2016) as a visiting researcher at the Germany Institute for International and Security Affairs (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik) in Berlin, Germany.
She was associated with Eastern Europe and Eurasia research group. To help support her visit she was the recipient of a research grant from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).