Dr. Torben Helfrich

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Torben Helfrich is a PhD student at the Chair of Logistics Management at ETH Zurich, focusing on sustainable supply chains. He studied economics at the University of Mannheim and completed his master’s program in Environmental Resource Economics at Kiel University. His master’s thesis analyzed the impact of the Indonesian nickel industry on biodiversity. Torben gained international experience through study semesters abroad at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. He completed internships at BASF, ZEW (Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research), and YouGov, where he gained insights into sustainability strategies and data-driven analysis. Prior to joining ETH Zurich, Torben worked at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, contributing research on climate policy and sustainability in the Global Transformation Division. His research areas include sustainable supply chains and critical minerals.

Research Interests

Experience

Research Assistant & Research Associate

— Present

Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) • Kiel, Germany

Worked on research projects related to climate policy and sustainability.

Intern

— Present

BASF •

Gained experience in sustainability strategy.

Intern & Student Research Assistant

— Present

Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) •

Assisted in research related to economic analysis.

Intern

— Present

YouGov Data & Analytics •

Supported data analysis projects.

Requirements for ETH Zurich

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.4
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
TOEFL
Total
Required:100
GRE General
Verbal
Required:159
Verbal Percentile
Required:80
Quantitative
Required:168
Quantitative Percentile
Required:81
Analytical Writing
Required:4.5
Writing Percentile
Required:85
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in a related field (Engineering, Natural Sciences, or Mathematics) Minimum 180 ECTS credits Subject-specific knowledge equivalent to ETH Bachelor's programs
Application Checklist
  • Bachelor's degree diploma or transcript
  • Official academic transcripts
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Letter of Motivation (1 page)
  • Two academic recommendation letters
  • English language proficiency certificate
  • GRE General Test (for non-EU/EFTA applicants)
Specialization Notes

The GRE is mandatory for students who did not obtain their Bachelor's degree in an EU/EFTA state. Some departments (e.g., Computer Science) have specific ECTS credit requirements in core subjects.