Team

The IZT is a lively, diverse, reflexive and thus learning organisation with a large inter- and transdisciplinary knowledge base that continues to maintain a balance between preservation and renewal in order to remain fit for the future. The staff work together at a high scientific level. They are co-creators and at the same time shareholders of the Institute. Together they address exciting topics of the future and in doing so open up great scope for shaping content and methods. Cooperation and collaboration are the basic modes of working.

Institute management

Scientists and academics

Dr Siegfried Behrendt

Research Manager

Dr Siegfried Behrendt

Research Manager

  • IZT Research Director for "Resources, Economies and Resilience" since 2019
  • Cluster management for "Technology and Innovation" (2014 - 2018)
  • Project Manager and Coordinator of the Working Group "Ecological Management" at the IZT (1990 - 2013)
  • Doctorate at the Carl-von-Ossietzky University Oldenburg (2009)
  • Lecturer at the Berlin School of Economics and Law since and at the Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin since 2001
  • Studied political science and biology at the FU Berlin

Dr Nona Bledow

Researcher

Dr Nona Bledow

Researcher

  • Since July 2022 Research Associate in the Research Field "Energy, Climate, Infrastructure" at the IZT
  • 2016 to 2021 Research at the University of Konstanz in the Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality" and teaching on the topics of comparative welfare state research and inequality research
  • Master's degrees in Political Economy and Philosophy from the University of Konstanz
  • Bachelor's programme "Philosophy and Economics" at the University of Bayreuth

Jaya Bowry

Researcher

Jaya Bowry

Researcher

  • Since September 2017 at the IZT in the BilRess project office
  • since August 2012 Project Manager at Faktor 10 - Institut für nachhaltiges Wirtschaften gGmbH
  • currently doctorate in cultural anthropology at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Melanie Degel

Research Director

Melanie Degel

Research Director

  • Head of Research "Energy, Climate & Infrastructure
  • Chairwoman of the works council and women's representative since 2011
  • Research assistant at the IZT since 2008
  • Previously employed in energy technology company in the contracting sector
  • Study of "Energy and Environmental Management" at the University of Flensburg
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Maren Eickhoff

Junior scientist

Maren Eickhoff

Junior scientist

  • Junior researcher in the research field "Health & Wellbeing" at the IZT
  • Previous research internship in the same research field
  • Studied Futurology (M. A.) at the Free University of Berlin and previously Bachelor of Economics and Social Sciences.
  • Since 2019, participation in the development of a non-profit organisation for the reduction of language barriers in the health sector.
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Michaela Evers-Wölk

Research Director

Michaela Evers-Wölk

Research Director

  • IZT Research Director "Health & Wellbeing" and "Technology Assessment, Participation & Evaluation"
  • previously project manager at the IZT since 2014
  • Leading the IZT's work as part of its consortium membership with the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag
  • 2000 to 2004 Project Manager at Prognos AG in the area of media and communication
  • 1989 to 1997 Studies in Information Science and Economics at the Free University of Berlin

Kathrin Opponent

Researcher

Kathrin Opponent

Researcher

  • Research Associate at the IZT since October 2021
  • 2018 to 2021 Environmental engineer with focus on water management
  • Study of environmental engineering
  • Studies in Social Sciences and Peace and Conflict Studies

Dr Edgar Göll

Senior Researcher

Dr Edgar Göll

Senior Researcher

  • Senior Researcher at the IZT since 2020
  • 2014-2020 Co-Research Director "Futures Studies and Transformation" at the IZT
  • 2016 Member of the Board of Netzwerk Zukunftsforschung e.V. and the Academic Board of the European Journal for Futures Research
  • since 2010 Lecturer in the Master's programme "Futurology" at the FU Berlin
  • 2007-2009 Consultant/Researcher Center for Future Studies, Cairo
  • 1995 research associate at the IZT
  • Sociology and Administration Studies

Laura Gottschalk

Researcher

Laura Gottschalk

Researcher

  • Since July 2020 at the IZT in the BilRess project office in Friedberg
  • 2019 to May 2020 Junior PR consultant with a focus on health and nutrition
  • Stay abroad in New Zealand through the WWOOF network
  • until January 2019 Study of Nutritional Sciences at the Justus Liebig University of Gießen
  • 2017 to 2019 Working student in the BilRess network

Volker Handke

Senior Researcher

Volker Handke

Senior Researcher

  • since 2000 at the IZT in the research field "Energy, Climate & Infrastructure
  • Since 2013 Visiting Scientist at the Institute for Heterogeneous Material Systems at the Helmholtz Centre for Materials and Energy
  • 1990s Staff member at the Institute for Energy Technology at the TU-Berlin
  • Diploma Programme in Technical Environmental Protection TU-Berlin
  • Skilled worker training in the construction industry

Christine Henseling

Senior Researcher

Christine Henseling

Senior Researcher

  • Since 2003 Research Associate at the IZT
  • currently in the research area "Resources, Economies & Resilience
  • 1998 to 2003 research associate at the Öko-Institut Freiburg
  • 1998 Master of Arts in Cultural Studies degree from Lancaster University
  • previously studied sociology, political science and law at the Free University of Berlin and Lancaster University (UK)

Dr Lydia Illge

Senior Researcher

Dr Lydia Illge

Senior Researcher

  • Research assistant at the IZT since 2007
  • Development of an indicator system-based method for estimating the contributions of industries to sustainable development as a dissertation
  • 2001 to 2007 DIW Berlin in the fields of Integrated Product Policy, Economics and Sustainable Development
  • Studied economics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (USA)
  • Studied business administration at the University of Rostock

Carolin Kahlisch

Senior Researcher

Carolin Kahlisch

Senior Researcher

  • Research assistant at the IZT since 2015
  • Since 2011, initially as an intern, student assistant and junior researcher at the institute
  • 2012 Completion of the Master's degree in Futurology at the Free University of Berlin
  • Bachelor's degree in Human Geography and Polish Studies at the University of Potsdam

Ingo Kollosche

Research Manager

Ingo Kollosche

Research Manager

  • since October 2018 at the IZT
  • Research Manager Futurology and Transformation
  • Focus on strategic preview, design projects, process moderation, method development
  • 2010 - 2017 Research Associate Integrated Transport Planning TU Berlin
  • previously Facilitor at Foresight Intelligence and TIBER Innovation Consulting
  • Work as a PR consultant
  • 2000 - 2009 Project manager at STRG and futurology institute Daimler AG
  • Studies in social science and politics

Katrin Ludwig

Researcher

Katrin Ludwig

Researcher

  • since 2015 at the IZT
  • Master's programme Regenerative Energy Systems (M. Sc.) at the TU Berlin
  • Bachelor's degree programme Environmental Engineering/Regenerative Energies (B. Sc.) at HTW Berlin
  • Student assistant at the German Energy Agency GmbH
  • Experience in planning and installing photovoltaic systems at Parabel AG
  • Training as a biology laboratory technician

Britta Oertel

Research Director

Britta Oertel

Research Director

  • since 1993 at the IZT
  • Head of Research "Public Sphere & Communication" and "Technology Assessment, Participation & Evaluation
  • Member of the IZT Supervisory Board
  • Leading the IZT's work as a consortium member of the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag
  • Since 2014 Member of the Expert Committee on Science of the German Commission for UNESCO
  • She was elected to the German UNESCO Commission in 2023.

Prof. Holger Rohn

Freelance Research Associate

Prof. Holger Rohn

Freelance Research Associate

  • Freelance researcher at the IZT since 2017
  • Since 2017 Professorship at the TH Mittelhessen, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management and Life Cycle Department
  • 2011-2017 Managing Director of Faktor 10 - Institute for Sustainable Management
  • 2004-2017 Managing Director Trifolium - Consulting Company
  • 1996-2007 Managing Director Trifolium - Beratungsgesellschaft für zukunftsfähiges Wirtschaften (Consulting Company for Sustainable Management)
  • 1987-1994 Mechanical Engineering at the TU Darmstadt

Friederike Ruge

Researcher

Friederike Ruge

Researcher

  • Since 2022 Research Associate in the Research Field "Mobility & Urbanity" at the IZT
  • 2019-2022 Junior researcher and science communication, previously student assistant at the IZT
  • until 2021 Master's degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology at the Free University of Berlin
  • until 2015 double-subject Bachelor of Hispanic Studies and Ethnology at the Georg-August University of Göttingen

Dr Michael Scharp

Research Manager

Dr Michael Scharp

Research Manager

  • Head of the research field "Education & Digital Media" and at the IZT since 1996
  • Work focuses on education and method development, energy, resources, housing and services
  • Many years of expertise in managing national and international projects

Malte Schmidthals

Senior Researcher

Malte Schmidthals

Senior Researcher

  • Senior Researcher "Education and Digital Media" at the IZT since 2017
  • 1992 to 2017 Head of Department "Climate Protection and Environmental Education" and part of the management at the Independent Institute for Environmental Issues e.V.
  • Diploma studies "Technical Environmental Protection" at the Technical University of Berlin

Marguerite Sievi

Junior scientist

Marguerite Sievi

Junior scientist

  • Junior researcher at the IZT since November 2022
  • Working as an ecological federal volunteer at the IZT since May 2022
  • Master's degree in "Environmental Science and Management" at the Free University of Brussels until 2021
  • 2020 Intern at Greenpeace in mobilisation and implementation of awareness-raising campaigns
  • until 2018 Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences and Humanities at the Free University of Brussels

Lisa Steck

Researcher

Lisa Steck

Researcher

  • Since July 2018 as a research assistant at the IZT
  • until 2017 Studies of Economics (M. Sc.) at the TU Dresden with focus on integration of climate change into economic growth models
  • Until 2014 Bachelor's degree in economics at the TU Dresden

Paula Steiner

Junior scientist

Paula Steiner

Junior scientist

  • from April 2023 Junior Scientist in the Research Field "Energy, Climate & Infrastructure
  • from April 2022 to March 2023 student assistant in the research area "Energy, Climate & Infrastructure
  • Study of Futurology (M. A.) at the Free University of Berlin
  • until 2018 Bachelor in Social Sciences

Dr Dirk Thomas

Research Manager

Dr Dirk Thomas

Research Manager

  • Since May 2020 Head of Research for "Mobility & Urbanity" at the IZT
  • 2018 to 2020 research associate at the Institute for Design Research (IDF) at the Braunschweig University of Fine Arts (HBK)
  • 2008 to 2020 Freelancers in the field of market and social research
  • 1996 to 2002 Sociology studies with the subsidiary subjects Political Science and Law at the Technical University of Braunschweig

André Uhl

Senior Researcher

André Uhl

Senior Researcher

  • Since June 2017 as a research assistant at the IZT
  • 2015 to 2017 freelance researcher for the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology in Vienna in the field of foresight
  • 2013 to 2015 Master's programme in Futurology at the Free University of Berlin
  • previously studied human geography, ethnology and economics (diploma) at the University of Trier

Roland Zieschank

Senior Researcher

Roland Zieschank

Senior Researcher

  • since 2022 as head of the joint project "Bio-Mo-D" at the IZT
  • Previous research on the inclusion of ecosystems in environmental economic accounts for the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
  • Focal areas of work include the topics of environmental information and development of national indicators
  • Study of administrative science

Administration

Students, volunteers (ÖBFD, FÖJ), interns