Executive team
Hans Joachim Schellnhuber
Director General
Hans Joachim (‘John’) Schellnhuber joined the IIASA executive team on 1 December 2023. He studied physics and mathematics and completed his doctorate in quantum physics at the University of Regensburg. After a postdoctoral position at the Institute for Theoretical Physics, Santa Barbara, he held full professorships at the Universities of Oldenburg and Potsdam, as well as at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. In addition, he was engaged in numerous visiting professorships (e.g., University of California Santa Cruz; Oxford University; Stockholm University; and the Santa Fe Institute). Schellnhuber received honorary doctorates from the University of Copenhagen (2011), the Technical University Berlin (2012), and the University of Exeter (2022). He has published some 300 scientific articles and books in fundamental physics, complex systems analysis, climate-change research, sustainability science, and other fields. Schellnhuber is listed as a Highly Cited Researcher (Cross Field) by Clarivate.
Wolfgang Lutz
Interim Deputy Director General for Science
Wolfgang Lutz brings a wealth of experience to the Deputy Director General for Science position as of 1 August 2022, in which he will provide interdisciplinary scientific leadership to the institute and ensure that IIASA continues to deliver the science-based evidence and tools decision makers need to develop informed and resilient policies.
Christiane Pohn-Hufnagl, Chief Operations Officer
Christiane Pohn-Hufnagl
Chief Operations Officer
Christiane Pohn-Hufnagl joined the executive team of IIASA as Chief Operations Officer (COO) on 1 July 2020. As Chief Operations Officer, Christiane Pohn-Hufnagl provides administrative leadership at the institute and ensures that IIASA researchers are supported by an operational environment that facilitates the delivery of excellent research and science.