Scientific staff

Maximilian Pöhnlein joined the Chair of Public Finance in November 2019. He obtained his Master’s degree at the University of Konstanz, where he studied Economics from 2016 until 2019. During his M.Sc. studies, he spent a semester abroad at the Università degli Studi di Firenze in Florence. In his dissertation, he examined tax competition between jurisdictions as well as the effects of economic integration on local labor markets. His research interests include topics of public finance, public economics, and labour economics.

William Dean joined the chair as a research assistant in July 2022 after completing his Master of Science in Economics at Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg. He also holds an Honors BA from The Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio, USA) in Chinese and History as well as a MA in East Asian Languages and Literature, specializing in Chinese economics literature. During his 2018 summer stay in Suzhou, China at Suzhou University and year-long 2018-2019 stay in Beijing, China at the University of International Business and Economics, he researched Chinese SOEs and studied topics in business and economics. His current research interests include public economics, spatial economics, and empirical work, with a current focus on tax changes and differentials as well as subsidies and tax incentives.

Vincent Herdegen joined the chair in September 2022 as the secretary of the German independent Advisory Board of the Stability Council. He obtained his Master of Science in Economics at Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg. In his thesis, he applied forecasting methods for hierarchical data on German exports. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Studies and Economics from FAU. During his undergraduate studies, he completed a semester abroad at the Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow. His research interests include public economics, forecasting, econometrics in general and macroeconomics.

Timm Schärfke joined the Chair of Public Finance in September 2023. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Economics from LMU Munich. During his studies, he worked as a research assistant at the Chair of Macroeconomics and at the ifo Institut. In his master’s thesis, he covered the European Central Bank’s reaction to sovereign debt crises, implementing the new anti-fragmentation instrument in a calibrated two-country New Keynesian DSGE model. His current research focuses on government debt sustainability, debt limits, and fiscal discipline.

Maximilian Nübling joined the Chair of Public Finance in October 2024 as a Research Assistant after completing his Master of Science in Economics from Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, where he also completed his Bachelor’s degree in Economics. His Master’s thesis dealt with Antidumping Disputes brought to the WTO Dispute Settlement Body. During his studies, he gained practical research experience through work at various FAU departments, the ifo Institute in Munich, and the University of California, Los Angeles. His current research interests include public finance, political economy, and international trade.