Thomas Kolbe Cauthorn
University of Mannheim
Business School
L 9, 1–2
68161 Mannheim
Germany
Academic Positions
August 2025 – Present Assistant Professor of Finance, University of Mannheim Chair of Financial Markets and Financial Institutions
March 2025 – July 2025 Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Kassel
Chair of Sustainable Finance
Education
February 2025 Dr. rer. pol. (summa cum laude, Deutsche Bundesbank Prize), University of Kassel
May 2020 – February 2025 Ph.D. Student in Finance, University of Kassel
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Christian Klein
October 2018 – May 2020 M.S. in Business, University of Kassel
March 2010 – April 2014 B.A. in History, University of Oregon
Publications
Cauthorn, T., Klein, C., Remme, L., & Zwergel, B. (2023). Portfolio benefits of taxonomy orientated and renewable European electric utilities. Journal of Asset Management, 24(7), 558-571.
Cauthorn, T., Dumrose, M., Eckert, J., Klein, C., & Zwergel, B. (2023). Rating changes revisited: New evidence on short-term ESG momentum. Finance Research Letters, 54, 103703.
Cauthorn, T., Drempetic, S., Hoepner, A. G., Klein, C., & Morse, A. (2024). Roy Sorting: Climate and Status Quo Strategies. (AFA 2025)
Cauthorn, T., Eckert, J., Kellers, A., Klein, C., & Zwergel, B. (2025) Do advisors respond to investors’ sustainability preferences?
Rochell, J., Cauthorn, T., Höck, A., & Zwergel, B. (2020). Drivers of Socially Responsible Investments Across Europe. Credit and Capital Markets–Kredit und Kapital, 53(4), 493-512.
Arnold, J. L., Cauthorn, T., Eckert, J., Klein, C., & Rink, S. (2023). Let’s talk numbers: EU Taxonomy reporting by German companies.
Klein, C., Cauthorn, T., Eckert, J., Kellers, A., Zwergel, B., & Jürgens, I. (2024). Does MiFID II enable private investors to invest sustainably?
Consileon Frankfurt, EB – Sustainable Investment Management (EB-SIM), Universal Investment Group, University of Kassel (2025). Impact Investment Anlegerstudie.
Presentations
2025: Annual Meeting of the Swiss Society for Financial Market Research, Annual Meeting of the German Finance Association, Edinburgh Corporate Finance Conference, Financial Management & Accounting Research Conference, and FMA European Conference
2024: C.r.e.d.i.t., The German Finance Association, The Irish Academy of Finance Conference, Liechtenstein Workshop of Sustainable Finance (Climate Finance Award), and Sustainable Finance Research Platform Workshop
2023: Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Rostocker Dienstleistungskonferenz, Summer School on Sustainable Finance – Joint Research Centre – European Commission, and Sustainable Finance Research Platform Workshop
2022: Investment in a Decarbonizing Economy Workshop, Sustainable Finance Research Platform Workshop, and Workshop on Empirical Sustainable Finance
Teaching (Courses were taught in German except where noted)
Undergraduate: Finance (University of Mannheim, Fall 2025; FOM Hochshule, Winter 2021, 2022), Special Topics in Sustainable Finance (Heinrich-Heine-University of Düsseldorf, University of Hamburg, University of Hohenheim, University of Kassel, Technical University of Dresden, and Hannover University of Applied Science and Arts, Summer 2023), Sustainable Finance and Statistics with Excel (University of Kassel, Summer 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025, and Winter 2024)
Graduate: Applied Sustainable Finance (University of Kassel, Winter 2020, 2021), Sustainable Finance and Risk (Steinbeis Hochschule, Winter 2022, English), Sustainable Finance (University of Kassel, Winter 2023, and 2024), Sustainable Investment Management (University of Kassel, Winter 2022, and Summer 2024)
Thesis Advisor: Bachelor’s Thesis (x14), Master’s Thesis (x7)
Service
Discussant: Annual Meeting of the German Finance Association (2025), The Irish Academy of Finance (2024), Financial Management & Accounting Research Conference (2025), FMA European Conference (2025), The Sustainable Finance Research Platform’ PhD/Postdoc Workshop (2025)
Grant Acquisition and Management: FNG Label, 2020 – 2022, €110,000; Sustainable Finance Research Platform, 2020 – 2024, €575,000; and Sustainable Finance for the Climate, 2025 – 2027, €1,085,000
Referee for: Finance Research Letters, Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment (Conference in 2022), Journal of Asset Management, North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Research in International Business and Finance, and Review of Managerial Science
Session Chair: Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (2023)
Workshop Organization: The Sustainable Finance Research Platforms’ PhD/Postdoc Workshop (2025), Ivory Tower meets Politicians Workshop (2023), PhD Paper Development Workshops (May and October 2023), Meet the Editors Workshop (2023), Markets in Financial Instruments Directive 2014 Regulation Workshops (November 2022 and March 2023), Markets in Financial Instruments Directive 2014 Bank Stakeholder Workshop (February 2023), and 3rd Empirical Sustainable Finance Workshop (2021)
Professional Experience
May 2020 – February 2025 Graduate Research Assistant, University of Kassel
May 2020 – September 2021 Sustainability Auditor for Funds, QNG
June 2018 – April 2020 Research Assistant, University of Kassel
May 2014 – July 2018 English as a Second Language Instructor
References
Prof. Dr. Adair Morse
Professor of Finance
Haas School of Business
University of California – Berkeley
Prof. Dr. Andreas Hoepner
Professor of Operational Risk, Banking & Finance
Smurfit Graduate Business School & Quinn School of Business
University College Dublin
Prof. Dr. Christian Klein (Ph.D. Supervisor)
Professor of Finance
Chair of Sustainable Finance
University of Kassel