Research
Research Interests
- Public law
- German and European Information Law
- European and Comparative Administrative Law
- see also ReNEUAL Homepage
- Infrastructural Law (in particular Energy and Telecommunication Law)
- Public Economic Law and Environmental Law
- Administrative Science
Research Projects
Current Collaborative Projects and Research Cooperations
Since 2024: Member of the research Project Constitution as Practice in Times of Transformation – ConTrans
Since 2024: Member of the interdisciplinary research network Adaptive Governance of Emerging Technologies – AdGovEm
Since 2023: co-chair of the Special Interest Group “Administrative Law” of the European Law Institute, alongside Prof. Paul Craig (Oxford) and Prof. Marek Wierzbowski (Warsaw)
Since 2012: Co-editor, together with Professor Dr. Schoch, of the commentary on German administrative law (Großkommentar zur VwGO und zum VwVfG) founded by Schoch, Schmidt-Aßmann and Pietzner
Since 2009: Coordinator of the Research Network on EU Administrative Law – ReNEUAL (in cooperation with Prof. Herwig Hofmann, Univ. Luxembourg)
Since 2012: Member of the Centre for Security and Society at University of Freiburg; served as a member of the Centre’s Board of Directors from 2018 to 2023
Previous Projects
2020-2024: PI of the European collaborative project “INDIGO – Information in the EU’s Digitised Governance” (based at the Centre for Security and Society and the University of Luxembourg), funded by the DFG through the NORFACE network
2022/2023: Member of the Working Group “Administration and Artificial Intelligence” of the European Committee in Legal Cooperation of the Council of Europe as representative of the European Law Institute on the revision of the Handbook (CoE) “The Administration and You” in relation to the use of algorithmic systems by public administrations
2020-2022: Project-Reporter of the European Law Institute Model Rules on Impact Assessment of Algorithmic Decision-Making Systems Used by Public Administration, in collaboration with Marc Clément (Administrative Court of Lyon), Prof. Paul Craig (Oxford) and Prof. Marek Wierzbowski (Warsaw)
2019-2022: Member of the project Concepts for an Integrated, Efficient and Sustainable Energy Supply and Storage in the Upper Rhine Region (RES_TMO)
2016-2022: Member of Upper Rhine Cluster for Sustainability Research (URCforSR) in the work groups “Governance” and “Energy, infrastructure and societal change”
2015-2021: Member of the Specialist Group for Regulatory Issues of the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency)
2018-2019: Member of the a Commission “Competition Law 4.0” appointed by the German federal government to examine the adaption of EU competition law to the challenges of digitalization (“Kommission Wettbewerbsrecht 4.0”)
2017/2018: Member of the interdisciplinary working group “Social Innovations in Energy Policy Making” of the German Committee Future Earth
2012-2017: Co-leader of the DFG-funded project “Legal requirements for the architecture of information systems as elements of administrative single-decision-making and norm-setting processes in the EU” (in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Herwig Hofmann, University of Luxembourg, lead agency procedure with the FNR)
2013-2015: Project Reporter des European Law Institute zum Projekt “Towards Restatement and Best Practices Guidelines on EU Administrative Procedural Law”
2005-2015: Founding member of the international Dornburg Study Group, with its series of comparative law conferences “Transformation of Administrative Law in Europe” (Scientific Director: Prof. Dr. Ruffert)
2013: International DAAD seminar “Legal Pluralism in the European Legal Community”, in cooperations with the Universities of Madrid (Autónoma), Milan, and Pavia
2012-2016: Board member of the FMER funded Competence Network for the right of civil security in Europe (KORSE)
2009-2012: Member of the interdisciplinary project “Energy Storages and Virtual Power Plants for the Integration of Renewable Energies into the Power Supply. Potentials, Innovation Barriers and Implementation Strategies” – coordinated by the European Academy for the Study of Consequences of Scientific and Technological Advances (Bad Neuenahr, Germany)
2009: Member of the expert panel “priorities in energy research – socioscientific, humanistic, juridicial, economic and scientific system aspects” – Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and the National Academy Leopoldina (Germany)
2007-2010: Core team member of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in European Studies (Osnabrück) (scientific director: Prof. Dr. Ingeborg Tömmel); funded by the European Commission
2007: Co-applicant for the partnership between the European Legal Studies Institute, department “European Public Law”, and the chair of Administrative Law at the Kardynal Wyszynski Uniwersytet Warszawa (in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Irena Lipowicz); funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
2007: Member of the legal expert panel on the EuroSparks project on cross-border prosecution of traffic law violations (with Professor Patrick Birkinshaw (Hull, Research Director), Prof. Dr. Andrea Biondi (King’s College London), Prof. Jean-Bernard Auby (Sciences Po, Paris), Dr mr. Mirjam Freudenthal (Universiteit Utrecht)); funded by the European Commission
2006-2013: Scientific director of the annual “International Seminar on European and Comparative Public Law” by the Universities of Birmingham, Freiburg (until 2010: Osnabrück), Strasbourg (until 2011, Orléans), Oxford and Tilburg
2006/2007: Scientific director of the German-Spanish research group “Principles and Procedures of the European Administrative Union” (in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Velasco, Madrid, funded by the DAAD and the Spanish Ministry of Research)
2001-2006: Member of the working group “Spatial aspects of new developments relating the energy policy in the Federal Republic of Germany” – Academy for Spatial Research and Planning Hannover (Germany)
2001-2002: Member of the expert panel on “constitutional questions of embryo research and PGD” – Federal Ministry of Justice (Germany)
Dissertations
I am pleased to supervise dissertations in my main areas of research. Please note the admission requirements for doctoral candidates according to the doctoral regulations of the faculty and in particular the requirement of a state examination passed with at least 10 points. I am also happy to supervise doctoral candidates with comparably good foreign degrees.
If you are interested in pursuing a doctorate, please contact my administrative office and include the following form (Doktorandenbogen) to arrange an appointment.