Merlin is from Germany and works on the governance of AI foundation models. He is currently researching who audits AI and how reliably.

This work aims to help AI labs, policymakers and auditors to jointly assess the trustworthiness of foundation models before they become critical digital infrastructure. Before joining the Blavatnik school, Merlin advised corporations, governments and non-profits as part of the Boston Consulting Group; on responsible AI strategies, digital infrastructure due diligence and carbon emission reduction. Prior to this he designed impact measurement strategies as an independent consultant and social entrepreneur in Germany, Eastern Africa and India. In Oxford and Tuebingen, Merlin completed M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in Economics. He published working papers on remote monitoring and causal machine learning.

Merlin is a Clarendon Scholar.