Kirk Junker studied philosophy and political science at Pennsylvania State University and received his J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law (1984) and the University of Pittsburgh (1996). He has worked as a lawyer for the Pennsylvania Superior Court and the European Commission. He has taught at universities in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland and Germany. Professor Junker's research interests include US law, international law, comparative law, environmental law, European law, law and the natural sciences, and law and rhetoric. Since 2009, he has held the Chair of American Law at the University of Cologne. Since 2019 he is Director of the Environmental Law Centre. In 2023 he was elected to become University of Cologne's first vice rector for sustainability.