Markus Thiel graduated from the University of Cologne Law School (Universitaet zu Koeln, Germany) in 1996. In 1999, he received a Ph.D. in law equivalent doctoral degree (Dr. iur.) from the University of Cologne Law School. The thesis deals with constitutional questions of the education in public school. Between 1998 and 2000, he has been a trainee law clerk (Rechtsreferendar) at the Cologne District Court (Landgericht Koeln), a research assistant to Prof. Dr. Arnulf Schmitt-Kammler at the University of Cologne Law School (Chair of Constitutional and Administrative Law), and has been studying Administrative Sciences at the German University of Administrative Sciences at Speyer (Deutsche Hochschule fuer Verwaltungswissenschaften, Speyer). Markus received a doctoral degree in Administrative Sciences (Dr. rer. publ., thesis about Public Art and Culture Administration) in 2003. Since 2000, he has been working as a senior research assistant / lecturer at the University of Duesseldorf Law School, Chair of Public Law and Theory of Administration (Heinrich-Heine-Universitaet Duesseldorf, Germany; Chair: Prof. Dr. Johannes Dietlein). At the present, he is working on his post-doctoral thesis (Habilitation) with the working title: Defence against dangers and risks in the Information Society.
Since August 2004, he is a non residential fellow at the Center for Internet and Society (CIS) at Stanford Law School.
His research interests include Public Law, especially Information Law, Environmental Law, Public Economy Law, Law of Constructing, Law of Education, Police Law, Law of Foundations, Legal and Constitutional History, Comparative Public Law, European Law, International Public Law and Administrative Sciences.