He wrote his dissertation on the aesthetic history of collections and work as an assistant at the Studienstiftung.

He held positions in Leipzig, Kassel, Rome, Cologne, Weimar, Bochum, Paderborn and Berlin.

[2] Wolfgang Ernst collaborated with bootlab Berlin and developed alternative formats of theory with Till Nikolaus von Heiseler.

2015-2017 Wolfgang Ernst has held the position as director of the Department for Musicology and Media Studies at Humboldt University of Berlin.

His latest work focuses on media-time, time-critical media, and the "sonic" as a form that connects technical and musical practices.