Ernst-Ludwig von Thadden (born 9 July 1959, in Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany) is a German economist, professor at the Department of Economics of the University of Mannheim, and has been president (Rektor) of Mannheim University since October 2012.

Previously he was professor of Economics at the Département d'Econométrie et Economie Politique at the University of Lausanne.

In 2006 he was lead manager of the university's successful graduate school grant application in the German "Initiative of Excellence" and became founding director of the "Graduate School of Economic and Social Sciences" (GESS) at the University of Mannheim.

In 2016, Mannheim University was the first in the state to adopt formal tenure track rules.

Towards the end of his term, the university showed significant progress in international rankings.