Innovative and Self-Composed
Even though his team didn’t win the finale of the “WiWi Cup 2026”, Dr Colin Schulz couldn’t be in a better mood. The man wearing a tracksuit and toting a gym bag over his shoulder is simply happy he could participate in his faculty’s football tournament – and now give an interview for this article in the Schloss. The purpose of our interview is to introduce readers to Colin Schulz, an up-and-coming economist and this year’s recipient of the “Excellence in Research” prize, with which the Universitätsgesellschaft Münster distinguishes “outstanding achievements in research by young academics”.
The 35-year-old assistant professor has been researching digital and environmental innovation in companies at the Institute for Entrepreneurship since 2021. ‘I’m a traditional business administration economist and well-versed in organisational transformation,’ he explains. Large-scale datasets are just as important as field interviews with which he augments the quantitative data. In his research, he investigates among other things how artificial intelligence affects employee satisfaction and how basic natural scientific research can be commercialised. And the focus of his research is always on change.
Change is as much a defining feature of Colin Schulz’s biography as stability. The economist embodies both qualities in a laid-back manner; his mentality is as sporty as his outfit on this June afternoon. For though he was standing on the grass pitch just hours earlier for the first time in ten years, football analogies abound in his description of his career. For example, he calls himself a “home-grown player” of the University of Münster and claims that its Business Administration department “plays in the top league”, combining scientific standards, internationality and personal support.
This way of talking and acting is no mere coincidence. Colin Schulz was once a successful football player, a goalkeeper to be exact, in the national junior league for Preussen Münster. After his time in the junior league, his passion for the sport gave way to an interest in figures and business. ‘I had already decided to pursue a secondary-school certificate in economics at a vocational school,’ he explains. From this period of change he found his way back to stability when he realised the field suited him academically. Colin Schulz then decided to pursue a degree in business administration in Münster. He insists he never had any doubts. ‘I was good at it in school, so I thought it would work out at university as well.’
The prize from the Universitätsgesellschaft is not the only career highlight that proved him right. Following his bachelor’s in Münster, he earned a master’s in Aarhus in Denmark, followed by a doctorate in Aachen. As a doctoral student, he not only conducted research into how companies could tap into digital business fields; he also became an entrepreneur himself and founded a software company. Now in the lecture hall or working as a mentor at the REACH – Euregio Start-up Center, this experience allows him to explain the “theoretical basics of company start-ups” and offer practical insights to his students. Discussing his teaching activities, Colin Schulz gushes with emotion: ‘I love teaching. Those 90 minutes should really be worth it for the students.’ His motivation and his joy also spring from the fact that he teaches in the same rooms where he himself once took classes years earlier.
As a postdoc, he enjoys being able to combine teaching activities with research and practical application. For this reason, he is now aiming to secure a professorship. ‘My doctoral supervisor asked me if I could imagine it.’ He was heartened by the question as it conveyed a certain confidence in his abilities. ‘Somebody has to give you the green light,’ he explains, also thinking of his own doctoral candidates. He has only praise for them. As well as for the “top faculty”. All in all, he and his wife are “super happy” in Münster. This high degree of stability will have to transition to another phase of change in the coming years. In Business Administration, appointments are usually offered to external candidates. Nonetheless, he seems to take whatever life throws at him. ‘Right now, I’m just looking forward to accepting the research award in July. I’m quite honoured to be recognised by the Universitätsgesellschaft.’
This honour was due in part to the support of his supervisor Prof Dr David Bendig who glowingly lauded his colleague in his nomination letter. He stated that Colin Schulz was among the ‘most distinctive early-career researchers in the area of management and innovation research in Germany.’ His research accomplishments and outstanding publications were ‘extraordinary for a researcher just four years after completing his doctorate.’ In light of such praise, it is no wonder that Colin Schulz could cope well with missing out on the “WiWi Cup” finals – and still retain an air of self-composure.
Award ceremony:
Colin Schulz will be presented with the “Excellence in Research” prize by the Universitätsgesellschaft Münster on 9 July (Thursday) at 6pm at the VR Bank Westfalen-Lippe eG building, Hafenplatz 2. All are welcome to attend. Online registration is required by 1 July.
Author: André Bednarz
This article is taken from the university newspaper wissen|leben, issue no. 4, 17 June 2026.