Friedrich’s dissertation explores the changing fortunes of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union as an agricultural producer, from the world’s biggest exporter of grain before World War I to biggest importer of grain during the 1970s. Through the prism of grain, it traces the Russian Empire’s and the Soviet Union’s contentious involvement in the world economy.

Following his broad interest in global economic history, he maintains a strong commitment to interdisciplinary exchange between History and the Social Sciences. In this vein, he is co-editing a special issue on “Capitalism and Socialism in Russia” (forthcoming 2023) with Europe-Asia Studies, which brings together perspectives from History, Sociology and Political Science. Before coming to Princeton, Friedrich studied History and Economics at the University of Munich (BA, MA), the Higher School of Economics in Moscow and Central European University in Budapest.