ESMT Berlin welcomes top economist and recipient of Humboldt Professorship Michael Weber to faculty

As one of seven recipients in 2026 of the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship, Germany’s most highly endowed international research prize, Weber will establish and lead the European Expectations Center at ESMT. The center will be a research hub that explores how inflation expectations of households and firms evolve and influence economic decision-making.

“I am very pleased to return to Germany and to join ESMT Berlin as an Alexander von Humbold professor,” says Weber. “With the European Expectations Center, we will create a platform for academic and policy-oriented research on economic expectations and bring together leading scholars and policymakers from around the world.”

Jörg Rocholl, president of ESMT, adds, “The appointment of Michael Weber marks an important step in strengthening ESMT Berlin’s profile in economics and finance. His research addresses a central question in modern macroeconomics, namely how expectations shape real economic outcomes. This perspective is especially relevant amid ongoing inflation uncertainty. His work connects rigorous empirical analysis with direct policy application and will be institutionalized through the European Expectations Center.”

Weber received his PhD in finance from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining ESMT, he was a faculty member at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business for 11 years. In addition to his appointment at ESMT, he is also professor of finance at the Daniels School of Business at Purdue University and holds several research affiliations, including faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and research affiliate at the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR).

Weber’s research focuses on macroeconomics, asset pricing, international finance, and household finance. His work has been published in leading journals such as the American Economic Review, Econometrica, the Journal of Political Economy, the Review of Financial Studies, and the Journal of Financial Economics. His research has been cited more than 13,000 times on Google Scholar, and he has received multiple honors, including four National Science Foundation grants and the AQR Insight Award.

In addition to his academic work, Weber serves as an academic consultant to central banks and policy institutions worldwide, including the Deutsche Bundesbank, the Bank for International Settlements, and the Federal Reserve Banks of Cleveland and Dallas.

With his appointment, the international faculty at ESMT has grown to 49 members from 18 countries.