Prof. Dr. Ilona M. Otto

Ilona M. Otto
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Earth System Analysis
Vita

Prof. Dr. Ilona M. Otto is a newly appointed Professor in Societal Impacts of Climate Change at the Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change, University of Graz. She leads a research group working on Social Complexity and System Transformation. The group’s ambition is to use complex science theory and novel research methods to analyse social dynamic processes and interventions that are likely to spark rapid social changes necessary to radically transform the interactions of human societies with nature and ecosystem services in the next 30 years. The last ten years she spent at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and she is still involved in coordinating two international projects there. Prof. Otto is a social scientist by training. She was born in Poland and studied in Poland, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Germany. She uses various research methods including social surveys, case studies, behavioural experiments, and simulations in analysing problems related to global environment changes, development, adaptation and sustainability.