It is probably unique at universities in German-speaking countries that one institute has four economic geography professorships - this has been the case in Hanover since 1 January 2022. Prof. Dr. Christian Hundt prevailed in a joint appointment procedure between the Thünen Institute and Leibniz Universität Hannover (the so-called Thuringian model) and was awarded the newly created "Professorship for Economics in Rural Areas". At the same time, Prof. Hundt was appointed head of the newly founded "Thünen Institute of Rural Economics", which is based in Höxter and conducts research on issues relating to the economic development of rural regions.
Christian Hundt studied, among others, at the University of Cologne as well as at the Open University of Hagen and holds diplomas in economic geography, economics and business administration. In 2012, he received his doctorate in economic geography from Leibniz University Hannover on a topic related to entrepreneurship research. This was followed by positions at the Ruhr University Bochum and at the Technical University of Dortmund, where he held a substitute professorship in Economics from 2014 to 2016. Since 2018, he has worked at the Thünen Institute of Rural Studies in Braunschweig and habilitated at the Ruhr University Bochum in May 2021.
The new Thünen Institute in Höxter is one of the 15 "Fach-Institute" under the Thünen umbrella institute, which conducts research in the fields of rural areas, agriculture, forestry and fisheries and develops scientifically based decision-making tools for policy makers . The Thünen Institute as a whole is an independent higher federal authority. As a departmental research institution, it is assigned to the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).
The Institute for Economic and Cultural Geography is very pleased that Prof. Christian Hundt, a renowned colleague who is highly committed to research and teaching, has decided to take up this professorship in Hannover and Höxter. His focus on the economy of rural areas, especially in Germany, is an important addition to the research and teaching activities in the field of economic geography, but also offers points of contact with the other fields of geography at Leibniz University Hannover.
