Stephan Bierling

Prof. Bierling (right) in conversation with Fr. Federal Minister of Finance (1989-98), Theo Waigel (Regensburg, 13.12.2016) Stephan Bierling (born 1962) is a German political scientist. He teaches at the University of Regensburg, where he holds the only international relations-professorship in the country dedicated to transatlantic relations.

Bierling's main field of research and teaching is the domestic, economic and foreign policy of the US and Germany, transatlantic relations and the international system.

For 15 years, Bierling was a senior book reviewer for Germany's leading foreign policy journal, Internationale Politik. He is a frequent commentator for national and international radio and TV shows and gives a lot of public talks. From 1986 to 1989 Bierling was a stipendee of the Adenauer foundation and since 2009 is its mentor-in-residence at the University of Regensburg. In 1996, he received the Ludwig Erhard Award for outstanding economic analysis of experts under 35 years of age. In 2002, he won the Academic Teacher of the Year Award of the State of Bavaria, in 2008 and 2010 he was runner-up for the nationwide Professor of the Year Award of Unicum magazine in the field of humanities and social sciences, and in 2013 he won the award. Bierling held many elective administrative positions, e.g., dean of department (2007 to 2008) and Vice President of the University of Regensburg (2008 to 2010). He has raised more than €200,000 for these programs. Bierling edits a book series in which his IR graduates can publish their theses (30 vols. so far). He regularly invites politicians, journalists, diplomats, generals, and foreign policy experts for discussions with his students. In 2006, 2007 and 2009, Bierling did extensive lecture tours in China and in Chile. Bierling was born in 1962 in the Bavarian Alpine village of Oberammergau.