Philipp Immel

Philipp Immel is a Researcher and Doctoral Candidate at the Chair of Contemporary Chinese Studies, University of Würzburg. He holds a Master of Arts in Chinese Studies (Distinction) from Würzburg and a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from the University of Bonn. His research focuses on China’s Social Credit System as a transformative governance mechanism, exploring power dynamics between state agents and citizens, inter-subject relations, and local implementation of central policies. He is funded by the German Academic Scholarship Foundation and the Marianne Plehn Program. Immel serves as a board member of the German Association for Asian Studies (DGA) and represents its Young Scholars Group. He is also part of the DLR Graduate Program at the German Aerospace Center.

Education highlights include studies at Jilin University (2014-2015), Peking University (2017/18 winter semester), and Sophia University (2019 summer semester). His research interests span social governance, social change in China, and broader social theory frameworks. Recent work analyzes urban planning strategies in Beijing as instruments of population control and authoritarian institutionalization under Xi Jinping.

Publications include a 2020 article on high-modernist urban planning in Journal of Current Chinese Affairs and a 2023 paper on illiberal institutionalization in Chinese governance. Awards include prestigious scholarships from the Studienstiftung and Bavaria’s Elite Network. He maintains active membership in the Association for Social Science Research on China (ASC). Teaching responsibilities and advisory roles complement his research activities.