Unveiling the Connections of a Complex World: How Can we Make our Societies More Resilient in Times of a Pandemic?

Research Group Leader
Kathleen holds a Ph.D. in atmospheric chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and worked at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) prior to joining the IASS, where she leads the group “Climate Action in National and International Processes (ClimAct).” Her research focuses on participation in and understanding of political forums that aim to drive climate action, with a particular emphasis on integrated approaches to mitigating climate change and air pollution.

President
Dr. med. Martin Herrman is the founder and spokesperson of KLUG, and has been professionally accompanying change processes for many years. Originally a medical doctor and psychotherapist, Martin Herrmann soon switched to advising companies and NGOs, developingnew methods for organizational development. He now teaches at international business schools and universities. His particular love is complexity research, philosophy and especially Hannah Arendt.

Scientific Director
Martina Schäfer studied biology at the University Stuttgart-Hohenheim and has completed PhDs in environmental technology and sociology at TU Berlin. Since 2010 she has been working as Scientific Director of the ZTG at the TU Berlin. She began her career at the ZTG in 1996 and has been carrying out and coordinating numerous inter- and transdisciplinary research projects in the area of sustainability research from that point up to the present.

Executive Director and Founder
Dr. Nicole de Paula was the first Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Development (IASS) in Potsdam, Germany. For more than a decade, she has been globally connecting policymakers and researchers to create a public understanding on key issues related to sustainability, environment and public health. Previously she was the director of a think-tank in Bangkok, Thailand. She is the founder of the Women Leaders for Planetary Health and co-founder of an interdisciplinary research group on Planetary Health at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Director
Professor Ortwin Renn is Scientific Director at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam. He is professor for technology assessment and environmental sociology at the University and co-directs the non-profit DIALOGIK, a research institute for the investigation of communication and participation processes. He is Adjunct Professor for Integrated Risk Analysis at Stavanger University (Norway) and Affiliate Professor for Risk Governance at Beijing Normal University.