Prof. Dr. Katja Kaufmann takes over the Chair of Macroeconomics

Prof. Dr. Katja Kaufmann will take over the Chair of Economics I on 1 October. She originally studied in Cologne, where she graduated with a diploma. She then earned her doctorate in economics at Stanford University (USA). Most recently, Prof. Kaufmann held a chair at the University of Mainz. Before that, she taught and researched in Mannheim and at Bocconi University (Milan). She has also held visiting positions at CESifo, Harvard Kennedy School, IZA, NBER, Princeton University, Stanford University and Yale University. Her research has been published in high-ranking international journals and has been awarded national and international prizes.

In Bayreuth, Kaufmann wants to place a stronger empirical focus and thus successfully continue her research interests in the areas of empirical macroeconomics, family, labour market and education economics and bring them closer to students. In particular, she is currently researching inequality and social mobility, the role of social interaction and peer effects, and subjective expectations in economic decision-making, using various administrative and self-collected datasets in developed and developing countries. Access to data sets and the costs of data collection are covered by various third-party funded projects, such as the SFB Transregio 224, which is funding Kaufmann's project with more than half a million euros.

"The University of Bayreuth is very interesting for me from both an academic and a private perspective," says Kaufmann. "The Faculty of Law and Economics and the University of Bayreuth in general are very strong in terms of research and teaching, as evident from numerous rankings, and the faculty and students are dynamic, highly motivated and successful. At the same time, Bayreuth and the region also appeal to me privately, as they are very attractive for a family with children."