Elina Brutschin
Senior Research Scholar
Transformative Institutional and Social Solutions Research Group
Energy, Climate, and Environment Program
Biography
Elina Brutschin joined the Transformative Institutional and Social Solutions Research Group of the IIASA Energy, Climate, and Environment Program as a research scholar in 2019. Her research integrates political economy insights with global integrated assessment models (IAMs) to address climate and energy transition challenges. She is particularly focused on fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and engaging stakeholders to develop comprehensive climate solutions.Before joining IIASA, Brutschin was an assistant professor of International Relations at Webster Vienna Private University. She holds a PhD in political science from Konstanz University, Germany (2013/2014), where she researched the liberalization of the European gas market. Additionally, she completed a postgraduate degree in EU Multi-Level Governance at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Vienna, Austria.
Recently, Brutschin has focused on developing tools to evaluate the feasibility of ambitious climate scenarios, considering both technical and political dimensions. She has contributed to several high-profile projects, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, where she supported the scenario database and served as a contributing author. Her recent publications examine public support for climate technologies, the feasibility of temperature targets, and justice considerations in climate research, with articles published in Nature Climate Change, Global Environmental Change and Environmental Research Letters.
Through her work, Brutschin seeks to bridge the gap between science and policy, ensuring that her contributions remain both relevant and impactful in addressing global climate challenges. She is actively involved in the organization and delivery of high-level, interactive presentations at key international climate negotiation and science-policy exchange events, such as the UN Conference of the Parties (COP) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA). As part of this work, she presents latest scientific findings and facilitates dialogue with stakeholders to ensure that research is aligned with real-world policy needs.
Last update: 07 MAY 2025
Publications
Leininger, J., Buhaug, H., Gilmore, E., Lindberg, S., Andrijevic, M. , Brutschin, E. , Jewell, J., Bauer, N., Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen, S., Moyer, J., Kriegler, E., Nord, M., Roelfsema, M., Ruhe, C., Soergel, B., Tosun, J., Vesco, P., Hegre, H., Vestby, J., Wingens, C., van Ruijven, B. , & van Vuuren, D. (2024). Data and literature repository for "Climate Futures are Political Futures: Integrating Political Development Into the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs)". 10.5281/zenodo.10977218.
Bertram, C., Brutschin, E. , DROUET, L., Luderer, G., van Ruijven, B. , Aleluia Reis, L., Baptista, L., de Boer, H., Cui, R., Daioglou, V., Fosse, F., Fragkiadakis, D., Fricko, O., Fujimori, S. , Hultman, N., Iyer, G., Keramidas, K., Krey, V. , Kriegler, E., Lamboll, R., Mandaroux, R., Rochedo, P., Rogelj, J. , Schaeffer, R., Silva, D., Tagomori, I., van Vuuren, D., Vrontisi, Z., & Riahi, K. (2024). Feasibility of peak temperature targets in light of institutional constraints. 10.5281/zenodo.11562538.
van Vuuren, D., Brutschin, E. , Dafnomilis, I., Dekker, M., Hooijschuur, E., Kikstra, J. , Kriegler, E., Pelz, S. , Riahi, K. , Sovacool, B., Würschinger, C., & Tagomori, I. (2024). Sharing the effort: Annual Net-Zero Report 2024. PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency , The Hague, Netherlands.
Müller-Hansen, F., Repke, T., Baum, C.M., Brutschin, E. , Callaghan, M.W., Debnath, R., Lamb, W.F., Low, S., Lück, S., Roberts, C., Sovacool, B.K., & Minx, J.C. (2023). Attention, sentiments and emotions towards emerging climate technologies on Twitter. Global Environmental Change 83 e102765. 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2023.102765.
Brutschin, E. (2023). A new hope for nuclear? In: Handbook on the Geopolitics of the Energy Transition. Eds. Scholten, Daniel, pp. 372-386 Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 9781800370432 10.4337/9781800370432.00027.