Hi everyone,

My name is Jan and I just started a new job as an associate professor at the department. Before I came to Denmark, I worked at the University of Konstanz (in Germany) and the University of Virginia. As a student, I enjoyed studying at a couple of different universities, including Free University of Berlin, the London School of Economics, UC Berkeley, and Duke University. I am originally from Neuss in Germany and because I lived in the United States for a total of nine years, the US also became a second home to me.

My research deals with many different topics, but there are a couple of unifying themes. Most importantly, as a political economist, I have always been interested in how political institutions and processes interact with socioeconomic conditions. Thus, in most of my research projects, I consider the complex interdependence of multiple spheres of social organization. Moreover, I always had a passion for history, which is why many of my projects have a historical component or emphasis. Finally, many of my papers rely on the application of rigorous statistical methods. However, I often also embrace mixed-methods designs and even have a couple of qualitative papers. Substantively, my research deals with topics as diverse as bureaucracy, imperialism, elite competition, the European Union, and long-term political-administrative development. Given the breadth of my interests, I will feel very much at home in the comparative politics section, though I would also love to visit and interact with the other sections from time to time.

Outside of my work, I enjoy a variety of things. Sport is super important to me and, if circumstances permit, I exercise on a daily basis. I love to run, to hike, and to bike. In the past, I also used to play badminton with my friends quite often. In addition to exercise, I am a big fan of board, card, and social games. If you enjoy playing games like Settlers of Catan, Wizard, or Poker or if you are interested in learning how to play some fascinating strategic-historical board games, please feel free to get in touch with me. In my free time, I also enjoy watching movies from all genres and playing video games with friends. So if you’re into Mario Kart, I hope we can play a round at some point.

Since I am completely new to Aarhus and would love to explore all parts of the city, any tips regarding nice restaurants, cafes, bookstores, or running trails are very welcome!

My office is in building 1332, room 218. I hope to get a chance to meet every member of the political science community here, so please feel free to stop by at any time to have a chat about research, running/hiking trails, board games, movies, or anything that Aarhus has to offer as a city. I look forward to meeting you!

All the best,
Jan