Reinhard Mechler
Research Group Leader and Principal Research Scholar
Systemic Risk and Resilience Research Group
Advancing Systems Analysis Program
Biography
Reinhard Mechler leads the Systemic Risk and Resilience Research Group in the IIASA Advancing Systems Analysis Program. He has over 25 years of experience analyzing and addressing socioeconomic aspects of disaster and climate change risks. His interest is to provide evidence-based advice to a wide range of public and private sector decision-makers to improve decisions and build resilience against salient risks.In addition to his role at IIASA, he is a visiting professor at the University of Oviedo and has been a guest professor and senior lecturer at the University of Economics and Business in Vienna, and a visiting professor at the University of Graz.
Mechler has led and contributed to many international research and consultancy projects and is currently leading research for the Flood Resilience Alliance, which brings together researchers, international NGOs, and the private sector to build disaster and climate resilience across the globe. He was a lead author on the IPCC's special report on managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation (SREX), the IPCC 5th assessment report, the report on 1.5°C global warming, and IPCC's 6th assessment report.
His areas of expertise include: socioeconomics of natural disaster risk management and climate adaptation, climate risk and resilience, disaster risk management and climate change policy, Loss and Damage, and climate finance.
Mechler holds a PhD in economics from the Technical University in Karlsruhe and a habilitation qualification from the University of Economics and Business in Vienna. He has a diploma in Economics, and bachelor equivalents in Mathematics, as well as English Literature and Linguistics from the University of Heidelberg. He also studied Economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and law at the University of Tübingen.
Last update: 14 MAY 2025
Publications
Hagen, I., Allen, S., S.Bahinipati, C., Frey, H., Huggel, C., Karabaczek, V., Kienberger, S., Mechler, R. , Menk, L., & Schinko, T. (2023). A reality check for the applicability of comprehensive climate risk assessment and management: Experiences from Peru, India and Austria. Climate Risk Management 41 e100534. 10.1016/j.crm.2023.100534.
van den Hurk, B., Baldissera Pacchetti, M., Ciullo, A., Coulter, L., Dessai, S., Ercin, E., Goulart, H., Hamed, R., Hochrainer-Stigler, S. , Koks, E., Kubiczek, P., Levermann, A., Mechler, R. , van Meersbergen, M., Mester, B., Middelanis, R., Minderhoud, K., Mysiak, J., Nirandjan, S., Otto, C., Sayers, P., Sillman, J., Schewe, J., Shepherd, T.G., Stuparu, D., vogt, T., & Witpas, K. (2023). Climate Impact Storylines for Assessing Socio-Economic Responses to Remote Events. Climate Risk Management 40 e100500. 10.1016/j.crm.2023.100500.
Mechler, R. , McQuistan, C., & Rosen Jacobson, B. (2023). Falling through the gaps: how global failures to address the climate crisis are leading to increased losses and damages. Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance
Hochrainer-Stigler, S. , Deubelli, T. , Mechler, R. , Dieckmann, U. , Laurien, F. , & Handmer, J. (2023). Closing the ‘operationalisation gap‘: Insights from systemic risk research to inform transformational adaptation and risk management. Climate Risk Management 41 e100531. 10.1016/j.crm.2023.100531.
Rözer, V., Surminski, S., Laurien, F. , McQuistan, C., & Mechler, R. (2023). Multiple resilience dividends at the community level: A comparative study of disaster risk reduction interventions in different countries. Climate Risk Management 40 e100518. 10.1016/j.crm.2023.100518.