Maximilian Ernst joined the Institute for European Studies in October 2018 as a PhD researcher in the International Security cluster. His PhD project is embedded within the KF-VUB Korea Chair and focuses on the intercorrelation between political and economic cooperation among Northeast Asian states and the implications for European CSDP towards the region.
Max obtained his M.A. in International Security and Foreign Policy from Yonsei University and his B.A. in Chinese Studies from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. He has lived, worked, and studied in China, Vietnam, and South Korea.
Before joining the KF-VUB Korea Chair, Max worked as Investment Consultant for KOTRA in Hamburg and as Political Affairs trainee at the European Delegation to the Republic of Korea.
Max is the Managing Editor of the Global Politics Review, Journal of International Studies and has been acting as peer reviewer of the North Korean Review.
Max' PhD dissertation focuses on Chinese coercive diplomacy in East Asia and the military balance in the Pacific.
