 Born in Munich, Goebel studied History at Freie Universität Berlin and University College London, where he received his Ph.D. in 2006.He subsequently held a Past & Present Fellowship at the Institute of Historical Research, a Marie Curie Fellowship at the European University Institute, and a John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellowship at Harvard University.After four years as "Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter", Freie Universität Berlin appointed him as a professor in June 2015.