Ferdinand Müller-Rommel

Prof. Ferdinand Müller-Rommel is a Senior Professor of Comparative Politics at Leuphana University Lüneburg (since 2019) and holds affiliations with the European University Institute (EUI) and the University of California, Irvine. His research focuses on political economy, security policy, comparative politics, and governance in Germany and the EU. He has held visiting professorships globally, including at the EUI, University of California, and University of Siena.

Education:

• PhD (Dr. rer. pol.) in Political Science, Free University of Berlin (1981)
• M.A. in Political Science, University of Florida (1976)
• Undergraduate studies in Political Science, University of Tübingen (1972–1975)

Research Interests: Müller-Rommel’s work spans security policy frameworks, political culture analysis, and institutional dynamics in democratic systems. He has pioneered studies on the 'Cool Water Effect' and comparative democratization processes. His projects often intersect interdisciplinary approaches to public policy and law.

Awards:

• 2019 Fernand-Braudel-Senior Fellow (EUI)
• 1985 Jean Monnet Fellowship (EUI)
• 1984 John F. Kennedy Fellowship (Harvard)
• 1993 DAAD Visiting Professorship

Advising & Grants: Supervised doctoral students including Natascha Zaun and Julian Müller. Led the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) at Leuphana (2004–2018). Served as President of the German Political Science Association (DVPW, 2016–2018).

Labs/Teams: Founded and directed the CSD, fostering collaborative research on democracy and political change. Active in international networks like IPSA and the EUI’s Robert Schuman Centre.