KORFMACHER, Merlin
KORFMACHER, MERLIN
Merlin Korfmacher is a first-year PhD student in Political and Social Sciences at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), under the supervision of Professor Camil Ungureanu. Merlin's research investigates the socio-political implications of Web3 technologies, with a focus on decentralized governance through Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and blockchain systems. Merlin’s work bridges political theory and blockchain studies, exploring how Web3 can prefigure transformative political-economic systems while addressing challenges of power, participation, and legitimacy. Drawing on critical theory, realist political theory, and prefigurative politics, his PhD project examines Web3 as a potential "realist utopia" for democratic self-governance.
Merlin holds a Master’s in Political Science (Track: Political Theory, 2022) and a Bachelor’s in Political Science (2021), both from the University of Amsterdam. He is also pursuing a remote Master’s in Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, Germany, where he is learning technical skills such as Solidity and Python. Originally from Germany, Merlin brings an international perspective to his research, enriched by his professional experience at a leading cryptocurrency exchange in the Netherlands, and as Chairman of the works council at an online retailer during his (under)graduate studies, where he gained practical insights into workplace democracy.