Niklas Woermann is Associate Professor at the Department of Marketing and Management at SDU Odense. He holds a PhD in sociology from the University of St. Gallen and Master degrees in marketing and sociology. He was appointed Visiting Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago in 2018 and Mercator Fellow at the University of Siegen in 2021.

Niklas’ research focuses how technology shapes consumer experience, services, and interactions. Multidisciplinary in his education, research and outlook, Niklas has published his work in outlets such as the Journal of Consumer Research, Marketing Theory and American Behavioural Scientist, as well as key publishers in sociology.

In his research, Niklas has entered the worlds of extreme sport athletes, high-stakes poker players, competitive computer gamers, and world-class DJs in order to capture how disruptive technology alters the human condition. As online live-streams replace local events, and Face-to-Face meetings are substituted by Face-to-Screen interaction, customer experience, consumption communities and service interactions need to be re-thought. He empirically traces evolving market opportunities using focused ethnography and video analysis, engages in high-level theory building informed by his work in sociology, and delineates implications for practitioners and businesses on the basis of his experience as a consultant and entrepreneur.

Niklas is passionate about nurturing the next generation of thinkers, builders and leaders in marketing. He has taught courses at universities in five countries and is currently profile manager for two Master programs. He has worked for clients such as Mercedes-Benz, Bionade or Nivea and collaborated several strategic marketing consultancies such as The Cultural Strategy Group or German Expansion. 

Niklas served on the editorial review boards of the Journal of Consumer Research, the Journal of Marketing Management and Marketing Theory and as book review editor for Consumption, Markets and Culture. He has won an Outstanding Reviewer Award at JCR, has been comissioned peer reviewes by the European Research Council (ERC) and frequently reviews for leading outlets in both marketing and sociology. Niklas received numerous recognitions such as the Sidney J. Levy Award and a scholarship by the Swiss National Research Foundation. He has co-authored research funding applications awarded in excess of 1,5 Mio Euro total.