From academia to the business world: How academic expertise supports business practice.

After completing my A-levels, I studied Economics at the University of Regensburg and further my studies during a semester abroad at the Aalto University School of Business in Helsinki, Finland. I then went on to complete a Master’s degree in International Economics and Management at the University of Paderborn. Through a position as a student assistant, I joined Prof. Dr Hehenkamp’s department, where I felt very much at home both professionally and personally. After completing my Master’s degree, I was able to take up a position as a research assistant there and begin my PhD.

The following nine years I spent at the department – first as a research assistant, then as a postdoctoral researcher – prepared me for my current career in business: As project manager of the EXIST research transfer project AutoAquaControl, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, I lead an interdisciplinary team of eleven people from the fields of electrical engineering and software development with the aim of developing a maintenance-free water detector to series production readiness and bringing it to market. In this role, I am also responsible for all commercial and economic aspects of the project.

The skills I acquired at the department form the foundation of my day-to-day work. Years of engagement with market structure analysis, competition theory and welfare economics have laid the groundwork for the strategic positioning of the water detector. Market research, competitive analysis and the evaluation of distribution and supply chain structures are part of my day-to-day work – skills I developed directly through my academic work under Prof. Dr Hehenkamp.

I am able to apply all these skills on a daily basis, as the coordination of all project matters requires precisely that combination of strategic thinking, structured project management and strong communicative leadership that I have developed over nine years of academic work.

My work at the Chair of Institutional Economics and Economic Policy, as well as the personal guidance of Prof. Dr Hehenkamp and his team, has therefore given me far more than just a PhD – it has laid the foundations for my future entrepreneurship. I am very grateful to the Chair and Prof. Dr Hehenkamp for this.