Julia Stauf appointed professor at H-BRS

At the H-BRS, Julia Stauf took over from Professor Franz W. Peren, who has retired, in the Department of Management Sciences on 1 September 2026. 

One of the new professor’s key teaching priorities is quantitative methods. In doing so, she also aims to convey to students the importance of mathematical foundations for Management Sciences. “Even though practical relevance is a key feature of a university of applied sciences, there’s no getting round maths. Maths is good training for logical thinking and, at the same time, an important prerequisite for business and economics subjects,” says Julia Stauf.

Behavioural economics as a research topic

In her research, the professor focuses in particular on behavioural economics and the question of how people make decisions. She places special emphasis on applications in the fields of the environment and sustainability. Among other things, she has been involved in studies for the European Commission and collaborates with public institutions and non-governmental organisations.

Julia Stauf studied economics at the University of Bonn and graduated with a Diplom in 2007. She then went on to complete her PhD at the University of Cologne on human behaviour under risk and uncertainty. There, she also worked as a research associate in the field of experimental and behavioural economics, as well as game and decision theory.

After completing her PhD, Stauf initially moved into management consultancy.

There, she advised international companies on topics including game theory, decision theory and auction theory. In 2018, she co-founded the consultancy Behavia – Behavioral Public Policy and Economics, which conducts behavioural science research for the public sector and non-profit organisations. Since 2022, she has been teaching as a professor of economics at Westphalian University of Applied Sciences.

At H-BRS, Julia Stauf intends to continue her research into applied behavioural economics, with a particular focus on environmental and sustainability issues.