Dr. Manon Westphal

Professor

Build a Statement of Purpose

Generate a tailored SOP for Dr. Manon Westphal. Improve your application with a focused, well-structured draft.

Biography

Prof. Westphal conducts research in democratic theory and realist political theory, emphasizing engaged empirical research. Her main areas of interest include the principles of political conflict regulation, challenges of power concentration, and the polarization of democracy. She is particularly focused on democratic innovations, understood as processes and institutions that open new possibilities for citizens to exert political influence. Prof. Westphal studied political science, modern contemporary history, and communication science at the University of Münster and the University of Auckland, completing her doctorate at the University of Münster in 2016. She was appointed Professor of Political Theory at the Technical University of Munich in 2025, and has previously served as a DFG fellow lecturer at the University of Amsterdam and as an interim professor of Political Theory at the University of Münster.

Research Interests

Experience

Professor of Political Theory

2025-01-01 — Present

Technical University of Munich • Munich, Germany

Lecturer

— Present

University of Amsterdam • Amsterdam, Netherlands

Interim Professor of Political Theory

— Present

University of Münster • Münster, Germany

Awards

#1

Dissertation Prize

2019-01-01