Volkmann was born in
Cologne and raised in
Lahnau. He is the son of
Walter Kohl and academic
Christine Volkmann. His grandfather is the former
Chancellor Helmut Kohl. After graduating from the Landgraf-Ludwigs-Gymnasium in
Gießen in 2014, he studied sociology, Politics and Economics at
Zeppelin University in
Friedrichshafen. During his bachelor's he spent one semester at
Tongji University Shanghai and one at
Peking University. He received a scholarship from the
Evangelisches Studienwerk and studied in courses abroad at
Belarusian State University in
Minsk and
Irkutsk National Research Technical University with the
German Academic Exchange Service. In 2020 he graduated with a master's degree in Contemporary Chinese Studies from the
University of Oxford (
St Antony's College). From 2020 to 2025 he served as the Chief of Staff to the Member of the
European Parliament Sven Simon, serving as Chair of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs in
Brussels. During this time he worked on a revision of the
Lisbon Treaty, a revised European electoral law and the
EU-Mercosur Association Agreement. Volkmann is a practicing
Lutheran. He lives in
Lahnau. ==Political career==