In his PhD research, Nikolaus aims to explore the impact of sustainable finance on corporate carbon emissions. In particular, he wants to further the theory on mechanisms through which investors can create impact and provide new quantitative evidence. His research is funded by the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) Global Transition Centre Scholarship and the FIR-PIR Finance and Sustainability Awards PhD research grant.

He is also a part-time researcher at the TPI where he was previously the sector lead for banking, oil and gas, cement, autos and shipping. Prior to joining TPI, he worked as a sustainability consultant at Deloitte and as an ESG analyst at Vigeo Eiris.

Nikolaus graduated with a Distinction and the Best Overall Performance Prize in the MSc in Development Studies from the LSE. He also holds a Franco-German Double Degree with Distinction in Political and Social Sciences from Sciences Po Bordeaux and the University of Stuttgart.

Provisional thesis title
The green elephant in the room: Does sustainable investing reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

Research interests

- Investor impact
- Carbon Accounting
- Climate risk
- Institutionalist theory

Scholarships and funding
TPI Global Transition Centre Scholarship 2022- 2026
FIR-PIR Finance and Sustainability Awards PhD research grant 2022-2025

Affiliations
Researcher at the Transition Pathway Initiative

Publications

'Can investor coalitions drive corporate climate action?' Geography and Environment Discussion Paper Series (49). Department of Geography and Environment. Read paper. 

Media

74% of airline companies not aligned to 1.5°C, says TPI (Environmental Finance, March 3 2022)
Companies struggle for clarity on net zero targets (FT, November 1 2021)

Supervisors
Prof Simon Dietz
Dr Richard Perkins