Karl Scheifinger
Researcher
Integrated Assessment and Climate Change Research Group
Energy, Climate, and Environment Program
Biography
Karl Scheifinger is a researcher in the Integrated Assessment and Climate Change Research Group of the IIASA Energy, Climate, and Environment Program. He studied in Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands, and is specialized in system and data sciences, environmental policy, and collective foresight.At IIASA, he is coordinating the Scenario Compass initiative and is contributing to research on public perceptions of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies as part of the GENIE project. In addition, he recently contributed to the Second Austrian Assessment Report on Climate Change and a comprehensive assessment of Austrian climate policies. Moreover, he founded IIASA's internal AI-HUB and supported IIASA's Just Transitions to Net-Zero Carbon Emissions for All (JustTrans4ALL) strategic initiative.
Prior to joining IIASA, he worked as an intern for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Early Warning and Assessment Division in Nairobi, Kenya, and contributed to the Measuring Progress: Water-related ecosystems and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) report.
Among other topics, he is interested in the concept of risk, scenario development in sustainability research, innovative data science applications, the role of foresight in societal transformations, and transdisciplinary research methods.
Scheifinger is also a PhD candidate at the Climate Science and Policy group at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, where he was awarded the prestigious President's Scholarship in 2024. His PhD project, titled "From collective imagination to collective action: Co-created scenario narratives that drive climate action" focuses on integrating citizens' perspectives in global mitigation scenarios.
Last update: 30 SEP 2025
Publications
APCC (2025). Second Austrian Assessment Report on Climate Change (AAR2). Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press. ISBN 978-3-7001-5110-4 10.1553/aar2.
Hanger-Kopp, S., Herring, Z., Kikstra, J. , Mintz-Woo, K. , Scheifinger, K. , Schinko, T. , Wallimann-Helmer, I., Wong, C., Woodhouse, E. , & Zimm, C. (2024). AJUST Applied Justice Taxonomy and Assessment Framework: A descriptive guideline for science and policy. IIASA Working Paper. Laxenburg, Austria: WP-24-012 10.5281/zenodo.18591617.
Steininger, K.W., Riahi, K. , Stagl, S., Kromp-Kolb, H., Kirchengast, G., Leschka, N., Williges, K., Scheifinger, K. , Henner, D.N., Eckert, L., Reisinger, M., & Wolf, A. (2024). Nationaler Energie- und Klimaplan (NEKP) für Österreich - Wissenschaftliche Bewertung der in der Konsultation 2023 vorgeschlagenen Maßnahmen [National Energy and Climate Plan (NEKP) for Austria - Scientific assessment of the measures proposed in the 2023 consultation]. Climate Change Centre Austria (CCCA) , Vienna, Austria.