He is also is an Affiliate of the Spatial Economics Research Centre (SERC) and an associate of the Centre for Metropolitan Studies, Berlin. Before he started working at the LSE, he studied economics at the University of Freiburg, the University Carlos III de Madrid and the Free University Berlin. His PhD in economics was awarded from the University of Hamburg. Visiting positions include the Centre for Economic Performance at LSE, the ETH Zurich and the Universidad Federal Rio de Janeiro. In 2012 he habilitated in Spatial Externalities, Economics and Policies.