Düsseldorf - The inaugural lecture on the topic of ‘Data economics between data protection and innovation’ will officially introduce the work of the newly created endowed professorship for economics with a focus on economics and law at the Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE) at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) next Wednesday. Among other things, Junior Professor Dr Reinhold Kesler will present the results of a study on data protection violations and their economic consequences.

The establishment of the junior professorship is made possible by a generous grant from the Haubrich Foundation. Reinhold Kesler accepted the call from HHU in autumn 2024. The professorship focuses on the economic analysis of the legal regulatory framework of the economy with a particular focus on the digital economy.

Hartmut Haubrich, Chairman of the Haubrich Foundation, explains: “Funding this professorship is particularly important to us in order to further increase the visibility of economics, especially in the field of competition economics and competition policy, in Düsseldorf.”

Kesler most recently worked as a Senior Research Associate at the University of Zurich, where he completed his doctorate on competition policy aspects in the digital age. During his doctorate, he worked at the ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research in the field of ‘Digital Economy’. He studied economics at the University of Mannheim, specialising in applied microeconometrics and empirical industrial economics.

Prof. Dr Justus Haucap, Director of the DICE, emphasises: "With Dr Kesler, we are gaining an excellent researcher whose expertise in digital competition economics fits our profile perfectly. His work on digital markets is highly topical and will significantly enrich our research perspectives."

Rector Prof Dr Anja Steinbeck thanks the foundation: "We are deeply grateful to the Haubrich Foundation for its commitment, which made the creation of this professorship possible in the first place. The support of foundations is crucial for our university in order to promote excellent research and open up new interdisciplinary perspectives. Especially in times when the demands on science and its social relevance are growing, partnerships like this are invaluable."

Date
“Datenökonomie zwischen Datenschutz und Innovation” 
Public inaugural lecture by Junior Professor Dr Reinhold Kesler
Endowed Chair of Economics with a focus on Economics and Law
Wednesday, 14 May 2025, 15:00 in seminar room S5 (oeconomicum / building 24.31).

Interested parties are welcome, registration in advance is required at: events@dice.hhu.de

Contact for press enquiries:
Marc Feist
Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE)
Telefon: 0211-81 15251
E-Mail: feist@dice.hhu.de