Timm Betz is the Principal Investigator of the PINPOINT ERC Starting Grant project.

His research examines the political economy of trade, investment, and international institutions, with a particular focus on how firm-level economic relationships shape political behaviour, coalition formation, and government policy. A central concern of his work is how the structure of domestic production networks — the web of buyer–supplier relationships between firms — mediates the political consequences of economic globalisation.

He is associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis and directs PINPOINT at LMU Munich. Previously, he held positions at Texas A&M University and TU Munich. His work has appeared in journals including the American Political Science Review, International Organization, and the Journal of Politics.

As Principal Investigator, Timm Betz leads all aspects of the PINPOINT project — from theoretical development and empirical design to team coordination and dissemination. He is responsible for the overall intellectual direction of the project and its engagement with the wider scholarly community.