It is my personal aspiration to inspire people to change towards sustainability. I fulfill my aspiration by doing research on environmental economic choices, by educating students, scholars, policy makers and entrepreneurs and by cooperating in an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary way. I teach environmental and energy economics at master student level and I supervise several PhD students.
As ecological and environmental economist, I aim to develop integrated assessments of environmental economic choices by sound scientific analysis to support decision makers and to reduce uncertainty. Uncertainty is one of the key-issues in relation to transitions.
I study different socio-technical systems that provide social needs and value within our ecosystems. Essential is the identification and valuation of ecosystem services (withdrawals from the ecosystems by our socio-technical systems) and environmental externalities (deposits, emissions and pollution of our socio-technical systems). Evidence-based research with both monetary and non-monetary valuation can support decision makers. Moreover, the integration (visual, numerical) of different sustainability aspects considering structures, culture and practices can identify trade-offs and co-benefits.
I have experience with the analysis of different socio-technical systems (agriculture and food, consumption and production (including materials) and energy). I work on the economic and sustainability assessment of environmental technology, agricultural and energy systems and on the interaction between economy, technology and ecology