The research work of Professor Sauer spans the fields of production economics, natural resource economics and applied econometrics. The primary focus of this research work is on the productivity, sustainability and resilience of farms and companies in the agricultural sector, issues surrounding the adoption and widespread use of sustainable technologies, the evaluation of political programs and the economic evaluation of water resources as well as bioeconomic developments. Special focus is on the use of smart technologies and implications of the circular economy in the Asia-Pacific region and countries in Latin America.
Professor Sauer studied at the Universities of Tübingen and Hamburg and at Imperial College London. In 1998 he completed his first degree in political science and economics and in 1999 he obtained a master’s degree in agricultural economics. In 2004, while working in parallel as a management consultant, he was awarded a PhD with Distinction from the University of Bonn. Subsequently he worked as an assistant and associate professor at the University of Copenhagen (2005-2007) and as a lecturer and senior lecturer at Imperial College London and the University of Manchester (2007-2011). Before joining TUM he held an endowed chair at the University of Kiel and was also a visiting professor at Princeton University and UC Berkeley. Professor Sauer is advisor of the OECD and the Asian Development Bank, member of the UK ESRC Peer Review College and appointed Liaison Professor of the German National Academic Foundation.
