Alexander Follmann studied geography at the University of Cologne and Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. In 2009, he started his PhD as a visiting PhD candidate at the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi. From 2011 to 2013, he had a PhD fellowship from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes). Since 2013, he has been working as a lecturer and researcher at the Institute of Geography, University of Cologne.
His research interests are urban and economic geography, urban environmental governance, urban political ecology, urban mega-projects, urban green and (peri-) urban agriculture.