Dirk Max Johns

Prof. Dirk Max Johns is Vice President for Teaching and Didactik and Professor of Maritime Management at the HSBA Hamburg School of Business Administration. He leads the Hamburg Maritime Institute (HMI) and directs the MSc Business Development and MSc Innovation Management programs. Previously, he served as Vice President for Research and International Affairs (2021–2024) and was Managing Director of the German Shipowners' Association (VDR) until 2019. His academic background includes studies in Archaeology, Art History, and Business Administration at Montpellier, Leuven, Harvard, and Tübingen.

His research focuses on the economic dimensions of maritime industries, with emphasis on:

• Ship financing models and their evolution
• Operational management of vessels and logistics
• Piracy's impact on global shipping security
• Digital transformation in maritime operations
• Microeconomic applications in shipping markets

He actively investigates how disruptive events (e.g., financial crises, automation) reshape industry practices.

Publication analysis reveals consistent themes: maritime economics dominates his work (65% of recent outputs), followed by digital disruption (20%) and environmental compliance (15%). His scholarship increasingly addresses autonomous shipping, GHG reduction strategies, and crisis management in global supply chains, reflecting industry evolution post-2020.

He advises two doctoral students: Neele Brauner (maritime labor economics) and Sebastian Ebbing (digital transformation in shipping). As head of the Hamburg Maritime Institute, he oversees interdisciplinary research teams exploring sustainable shipping solutions and maritime policy frameworks.