He received a doctorate in English and American Studies in 2001, exploring the manifestation of transcendentalist ideas in the music of Charles Ives and John Cage.
Mehring's research focuses on the intersection of culture, media and politics in order to trace transfer processes between Europe and North America.
His work on the transcultural confrontation of German immigrants such as Charles Follen, Ottilie Assing, Winold Reiss, Kurt Weill, Hans J. Massaquoi, and Hannah Arendt received the European Rob Kroes Award in Transnational American Studies.
[17] Mehring volunteers as director of the Museum Forum Arenacum on the subject of art, culture and history in the Lower Rhine region.
In this role, he oversees the organization's efforts to promote interdisciplinary research, academic collaboration, and cultural exchange between the Netherlands and the United States.