Name: Andreas Irmen

 

ORCID: 0000-0003-0410-8855

 

Personal Statement:

Why are some countries poor and others are rich? My research as an academic economist addresses policy relevant as well as conceptual aspects of this question. A particular emphasis is on the role of and the interplay between technological developments, cultural differences, and demographic change. My research methods introduce advanced microeconomic concepts into dynamic macroeconomic models and use sophisticated simulation techniques. More recently, I have augmented my research repertoire by integrating empirical approaches. As mentor and supervisor, I encourage Ph.D. candidates and students to develop an open-minded, interdisciplinary perspective for tackling the challenges of today’s societies. The synergy between insights from all social and natural sciences, coupled with the quantitative tools offered by economics is a fruitful route for relevant and impactful research.

 

Personal details – Individual narrative profile:

I earned my Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Lausanne in 1996. Prior to that I studied Economics, Business Administration, Philosophy, and English at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Kingston Polytechnic, London, and at Ecole Supérieure de Commerce (ESCAE), Marseille. I obtained a Diploma in Economics (Diplom-Volkswirt) at the University of Constance (1991) and a Master’s Degree in Economics at the University of Lausanne (1993).

My academic career started as an assistant professor (“Habilitand”) at the University of Mannheim, where my research interests evolved toward growth theory. My work challenged prevailing notions in the profession by demonstrating the feasibility of endogenous technical change within a competitive economy (https://doi.org/10.1006/jeth.2000.2787). This approach has led to novel, policy-relevant insights, e.g., in the context of pension reforms (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jedc.2014.06.012).

Since September 2010, I have served as Full Professor of Economics at the University of Luxembourg (UL). Prior to this I held a position of Full Professor of Economics (Chair of Economic Policy - Macroeconomics) at the Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg (2006-2010) and was Professor of Economics at the Free University of Bolzano (2005-2006). I have been affiliated with the Center for Economic Studies (CESifo) in Munich since 2005.

My international research network benefitted from several research stints abroad. I served as a Visiting Professor at prestigious institutions, including Brown University in 2018 (by invitation of Professor Oded Galor, Ph.D.), the Paris School of Economics (2017-2018, by invitation of Professor Dr. Hippolyte d'Albis), or the Groupement de Recherche en Economie Quantitative d’Aix Marseille in France (2014, by invitation of Professor Dr. Raouf Boucekkine).

I was a visiting scholar at the Department of Economics of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2008, by invitation of Professor Daron Acemoglu, Ph.D.), at the Department of Economics at Harvard University (2001-2002 by invitation of Professor Philippe Aghion, Ph.D.), and at the Carl Melchior Minerva Center for Macroeconomics and Growth at Hebrew University in Jerusalem (2000, by invitation of Professor Oded Galor, Ph.D.).

My contributions to research and teaching have received recognition through notable awards and honors. They include a CORE Grant from the Luxembourg national research fund (FNR) for the period of 2021-2024 (€ 626,000), an INTER Mobility Grant from the FNR for the period of 2017-2018 (€ 100,000), a European Commission Grant for a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (€ 100,000, with colleagues from UL), a UL Grant (2015-2017, € 221,000), the Best Teaching Award of the Department of Economics at the University of Mannheim (2003), a distinguished scholarship from the German Science Foundation (2001-2002, DFG- Forschungsstipendium), and the Suisse Assurance Academic Award for my Ph.D. Dissertation, conferred by the University of Lausanne in 1996.

Key outputs, contributions, and achievements:

• Contributing to the generation and communication of new ideas, hypotheses, tools, or knowledge My current research agenda revolves around the macroeconomics of automation and technological progress. I published an original analytical framework that allows for the study of automation incentives at the level of individual firms as well as at the level of economic aggregates (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10887-021-09195-w). So far, this framework has been applied to the analysis of how population aging affects economic growth and economic inequality. Research in progress extends its scope of application to assess the role of emerging technologies on energy demand and labour markets. This research agenda serves as the foundation for a novel course I currently instruct at the Doctoral School of Economics, Finance, and Management (DSEFM) of UL concentrating on the macroeconomics of automation, artificial intelligence, and digitization.

• Contributing to the development and sustainability of research teams and individuals Recently, I published individual works on the economic implications of new technologies (https://doi.org/10.1111/iere.12216, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1365100516000407) and co-authored research with my Ph.D. students (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jet.2017.05.002), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jet.2021.105239). This research led to successful career placements at the University of Milan and Macao University of Science and Technology, respectively.

• Contributing to the wider research and innovation community

– I currently hold the position of Head of the Department of Economics and Management at UL. I have been engaged in the PhD education in Economics and Finance since my arrival at UL, e.g., in my role as Study Programme Director of the MSc in Quantitative Economics and Finance (MScQEF) (2019-2023) and its predecessor (2013-2019) as well as a council member of the Doctoral School in Economics, Finance and Management (DSEFM) at UL since 2012.

– I have expanded my international involvement as a member of the International Advisory Board of the PUEB Doctoral School at Poznań University of Economics and Business (since Jul. 2022) and as a member of the international editorial advisory board of the Economics and Business Review (since Jul. 2020). In 2020, I was honoured with an invitation to edit an issue of this review (https://doi.org/10.18559/ebr.2020.2.1).

• Contributing to broader society My engagement with the broader society includes contributions and co-authorships of newspaper articles featured in the Luxembourger Wort and the deliverance of public lectures in and outside of Luxembourg. My dedication to enhancing the public discourse is also reflected in my membership on the Board of Directors of the Economist Club Luxembourg (since Feb. 2016).