The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) are pleased to announce that political economist Jacob Funk Kirkegaard will commence a dual appointment as senior fellow with both institutions starting September 1, 2020. A resident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute since 2013, Kirkegaard will transition to nonresident senior fellow with PIIE and take up the position of resident senior fellow in GMF's Brussels office. Kirkegaard will continue to play an important role in the Peterson Institute's work on European economic issues, immigration, climate change, foreign direct investment, and labor, pension, and social security issues. At GMF, Kirkegaard will focus on the related issues of transatlantic economic relations, climate change, investment flows and screening, and the US-EU-China trilateral relationship.
Jacob Funk Kirkegaard has been associated with the Peterson Institute since 2002. Before joining PIIE, he worked with the Danish Ministry of Defense, the United Nations in Iraq, and in the private financial sector. He received his PhD from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies and is a graduate of the Danish Army's Special School of Intelligence and Linguistics with the rank of first lieutenant, the University of Aarhus in Aarhus, Denmark, and Columbia University in New York.
GMF president Karen Donfried welcomed Kirkegaard, saying, "The transatlantic economic relationship has been an unprecedented engine for prosperity and social change on the world stage. At this pivotal moment in transatlantic relations, GMF could not be more pleased to welcome a political economist of Jacob's caliber to our Brussels office to help shed light on how that relationship can continue to be a positive force in the century to come. We are delighted that he will continue contributing to Peterson's important work while joining the GMF family."
PIIE president Adam S. Posen said, "Jacob has been and will remain a beloved and widely followed core member of the Institute senior research team, bridging not just economic and political analysis, but European capitals and Washington. His new joint appointment allows PIIE to renew and expand its long-standing partnership with GMF, particularly at the nexus of economic and foreign policy issues, which have all the more importance in today's world. I look forward to working actively with Jacob, Karen, and GMF colleagues to extend both Peterson's and GMF's contribution to these key policy debates, particularly on transatlantic approaches to climate change and cross-border flows of technology and investment."
Kirkegaard has testified before the US Congress and the European Parliament and is regularly quoted in national and international media, including the Financial Times, New York Times, Washington Post, Reuters, and Bloomberg.
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About the German Marshall Fund
The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) strengthens transatlantic cooperation on regional, national, and global challenges and opportunities in the spirit of the Marshall Plan. Founded in 1972 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization through a gift from Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance, GMF is headquartered in Washington and has offices in Ankara, Belgrade, Berlin, Brussels, Bucharest, Paris, and Warsaw.
About the Peterson Institute for International Economics
The Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) is an independent nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization based in Washington that is dedicated to strengthening prosperity and human welfare in the global economy through expert analysis and practical policy solutions.