Former staff members

Dr. Melisa Deciancio

Former Senior Researcher

Melisa Deciancio was Senior Fellow Researcher at the University of Münster. She is also Research Fellow at the National Scientific and Research Council of Argentina, based in the Department of International Relations at FLACSO Argentina. Melisa holds a Master in International Relations and Negotiations and a PhD in Social Sciences from FLACSO. Her research is focused on the areas of International Relations Theory, Latin American Foreign Policy and Global Governance.


Dr. Kemel Kalif

Former Senior Researcher

Kemel A. Bitencourt Kalif is a Brazilian Agronomist who moved to Germany in early 2019. With more than 20 years of experience working with the socio-environmental and economic aspects of commodity production in the main Brazilian ecosystems, he has already worked in the main NGOs operating in Brazil. His formal education includes a Masters in Zoology, a Ph.D. in Sustainable Development, and a Post-Doc in Ecological Economics.


Daniel Kefeli

Former Junior Researcher

Daniel Kefeli is an economist with professional experience in the fields of industry policy and institutional capacity building. He holds a Master Degree in Public Policy and he worked as an economic advisor and industrial policy director at the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining in Uruguay. His research focuses on policies for productive transformation and politics of sustainable development. He was a PhD candidate and member of the research group “Transformation and Sustainability Governance in South American Bioeconomies” at the University of Münster.


Guilherme de Queiroz Stein

Former Junior Researcher

Guilherme de Queiroz Stein was a PhD candidate at the University of Münster. He has background in Economics and Political Science, being responsible for the Brazilian case study in the research project about governance of bioeconomy in Latin America. His main research interests are related to bioeconomy, renewable energy, public policies, and democracy, aiming to understand how institutions affect the possibilities of a sustainable development.


Christopher Breddermann

Former Research Assistant

Christopher Breddermann is currently undergoing his graduate studies of Environmental and Resource Economics at the University of Bonn. He completed his Bachelor’s in Economics with a major in Macroeconomics and the analysis of capital markets. After working as a mountain guide in the Swiss Alps and the Highlands in Iceland, he decided to specialize his studies more closely linked to environmental protection. His focus areas are sustainable agriculture, renewable energy transition and wildlife protection.


Isabela Pichardo Velázquez

Former Research Assistent

Isabela Pichardo Velázquez is a master student in Environmental Science, Remote Sensing and Environmental Modelling at the University of Trier. Her background in ecology and environmental management granted her the ability to explore interdisciplinary studies of environmental science and social science to drive sustainable social innovation. Her main research interest relies on using remote sensing, GIS and deep learning techniques to support policy and decision-making in the topics of renewable energy, forest monitoring, and urban mapping.


Sophia Florence Scherer

Former Research Assistent

Florence Scherer is a master student in the field of tropical and subtropical Agriculture and Resource management at the University of Bonn. While she has worked in a variety of social and ecological fields, the main focus of her research lies on land-use management, social and environmental tipping points, as well as sustainable transitions. She is well aquainted with designing and creating online learning experiences.


Marie Podien

Former Research Assistant

Marie Podien is currently completing her Bachelor’s degree in Geography and Political Science at the University of Münster. Through her studies, she focuses on the interface between the natural sciences and the social sciences. Her main research interests are sustainable development at all spatial levels and how policymakers can promote this transformation.


Emma Pötting

Former Research Assistant

Emma Pötting is currently completing her undergraduate studies in Politics and Law, which she undertook in Münster and Barcelona. During her studies she focused on international law, sustainable development and intersectionalism. Her further research interests lie in the field of transformation studies and environmental ethics.