Max Willems

Max Willems is a Doctoral student at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, affiliated with the International Max Planck Research School on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy (IMPRS-SPCE). His research focuses on the political economy of energy transitions, particularly the interplay between growth models, renewable energy systems, and distributional conflicts.

Education:

• BA in Sociology, Politics & Economics (2014–2019), Zeppelin University, Friedrichshafen
• MSc in Comparative Politics/Comparative Political Economy (2019–2020), London School of Economics and Political Science
• Exchange student (2017), Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, Israel

Research interests span energy and climate policy, growth-energy nexus, and geoeconomic trade-offs in wealthy countries. His work employs quantitative methods and country case studies to analyze economic redistribution during energy transitions.

Awards:

• 2017–2020: Scholarship from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation

Professional experience: Former Electricity Market Analyst at Aurora Energy Research (2020–2022) and Research Assistant at the Center for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and Political Science (2020).