Dr. Qiuliang Huang
huang@b-tu.de
Telephone: +49 (0) 355 69 2122
Address: LG-10, Room 518, Erich-Weinert-Strasse 1, 03046 Cottbus, Germany
Dr. Qiuliang Huang joined the Decarbonization and Transformation of Industry team in October 2024. She holds a PhD in Iron and Steel Technology from TU Bergakademie Freiberg, where her dissertation on an advanced heat treatment technology for stainless steels was awarded the prestigious Eduard-Maurer-Prize, underscoring the significant impact of her work in the field.
Dr. Huang expanded her engineering expertise into the chemical and waste industries during her time at the Institute of Energy Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering (IEC), an institute dedicated to reducing CO2 emissions in carbon-intensive sectors. Her expertise in the chemical field was developed while leading the young researcher group Material and Process Analysis. This group focused on creating a reliable database for energy-intensive high-temperature conversion processes, which was provided to numerical modeling teams for validation and optimization, with the ultimate goal of improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. Prior to this, her work concentrated on the development of zero-waste cities in China, with an emphasis on policies and technologies supporting carbon neutrality.
In her current role, Dr. Huang continues to deepen her expertise by focusing on the chemical recylcing for China’s Transition towards a circular carbon economy (CRC3 Project). Her research aims to address gaps in societal, economic, and innovation policy conditions in China’s waste management and chemical sectors, providing recommendations to enhance public, market, and political support for chemical recycling initiatives.
EDUCATION:
- Dr.-Ing (Eisen- und Stahltechnologie): TU Bergakademie Freiberg (12/2019)
- M.Sc. (Matellurgical Engineering): RWTH Aachen (01/2014)
- Bachelor (Matellurgical Engineering): Universität für Wissenschaft und Technologie Peking (07/2010)
Anouk Kruschinski
kruscano(at)b-tu.de
Address: LG-10, Room 518, Erich-Weinert-Strasse 1, 03046 Cottbus, Germany
Anouk Kruschinski is a research assistant at the Department of Decarbonization and Transformation of Industry (DTI) since April 2025. She completed her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in “Environmental and Resource Management/ERM” at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg. Her research interests focus on the alignment and synergies between environmental and social aspects in sustainability strategies.
During her Bachelor's program, she was able to gain various insights into sustainable innovation processes and product development through an internship and a related working student position at BE Solutions (Consulting) between 2020 and 2021. By creating various workshops with citizens, she also gained her first experience with public participation concepts. She later gained further consulting and support experience between 2023 and 2024 as a working student at Ernst and Young (EY).
Anouk further developed her interest in participation and acceptance concepts during her two years in the sustainability team at Toll Collect from 2021 to 2023 - with a focus on internal and external communication. She was also able to gain international and intercultural experience during her semesters abroad in Indonesia (2020) and Japan (2023).
In addition to her academic activities, Anouk volunteers at KuB (Kontakt- und Beratungsstelle für Flüchtlinge und Migrant:innen e.V.) as a German teacher for refugees and migrants in precarious situations.
EDUCATION
- Bachelor of Science (Environmental and Resource Management): Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (07/2022)
- Master of Science (Environmental and Resource Management): Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (03/2025)
Franziska Kusche
franziska.kusche(at)b-tu.de
Address: LG-10, Room 518, Erich-Weinert-Straße 1, 03046 Cottbus, Germany
Franziska Kusche joined the Chair of Decarbonization and Transformation of Industry (DTI) as research associate in April 2025. Before joining DTI, she worked three years as a project manager and advisor to municipalities undergoing structural change in the Regional Development Agency of Upper Lusatia (Entwicklungsgesellschaft Niederschlesische Oberlausitz). Her work bridged socio-ecological research with strategic consulting, particularly in the context of regional transformation processes.
From 2019 to 2022, she was a research associate in the BMBF (German Federal Ministry of Education & Research) junior research group BioMaterialities at the Humboldt University of Berlin, where she focused on regional inequalities within the bioeconomy.
Franziska Kusche holds an M.Sc. in Social and Human Ecology from the University of Klagenfurt (Austria), as well as an M.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in International Development from the University of Vienna (Austria). In her research, she combines perspectives from critical development studies, social and political ecology, and ecological economics to explore how resource extraction and use shape societal development. Her thematic interests include rural transformation processes, global social and ecological inequalities, ecologically unequal exchange, and colonial continuities along with post- and decolonial perspectives.
She gained international experience through a Latin America Fellowship at UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) in Mexico City between 2017 and 2018, and as a staff member at the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation’s regional office in Quito, Ecuador from 2014 to 2015. Earlier in her career, she also worked as a student assistant and lecturer at both the Department of International Development and the Department of Political Science at the University of Vienna (Austria) between 2012 and 2019 —particularly in the field of International Politics and Development in collaboration with Prof. Ulrich Brand. Since 2016, she has also served on the editorial board of the Austrian Journal of Development Studies.
In her research, Franziska Kusche combines analytical depth with practical perspectives and is committed to fostering just socio-ecological transformations—both globally and at regional and local levels.
Education
- M.Sc. (Social and Human Ecology): University of Klagenfurt, Germany (2021)
- M.A. (Political Science): University of Vienna, Austria (2019)
- B.A. (International Development): University of Vienna, Austria (2014)
Grit Tobis
Grit Tobis is part of the Decarbonization and Transformation of Industry team since October 2024. She studied communication design and media at the Wismar University of Applied Sciences and is also qualified as a business economist with a specialization in Marketing. Since October 2019, Grit has been supporting the Technology Assessment R&D division at the Institute for Energy Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering (IEC), TU Bergakademie Freiberg in the field of science communication. As part of the 4th Saxony State Exhibition titled "Boom. 500 Years of Industrial Culture in Saxony", she was involved in the conceptual and design development of the interactive educational trail "Carbon Discovery Trail” (In German: Wissensreise Kohlenstoff).
Education:
• Diploma- Designer (Communication Design and Media): Wismar University of Applied Sciences (12/2007)
• Business Administration Diploma (Specialization in Marketing): IHK Dresden (10/2002)
Johanna Dubbins ( Student Assistant)
Johanna Dubbins is a student assistant at the chair of Decarbonization and Transformation of Industry. She has a background in social science and humanities. She studied sociology and Slavic studies with focus on Russian, Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian at the Ruprecht-Karl-University Heidelberg. Next to those languages she is also fluent in English and German.
EDUCATION:
- B.A.: (Environmental and Resource Management) BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Germany (10/2023 - Current)
- (Slavic Studies and Sociology) Ruprecht-Karl-University Heidelberg, Germany (10/2021 - 09/2023)
Rishab Rane (External PhD Researcher)
Rishab Rane is an external PhD researcher at the Chair of Decarbonization & Transformation of Industry. Since December 2023, he has been conducting research on the topic of "Steering Decarbonization in the Automotive Industry: A Multidimensional Evaluation of Factors Influencing Corporate Sustainability Strategies" at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg. Simultaneously, he is actively engaged as a Sustainability Consultant with Porsche Consulting.
Rishab completed his Bachelor Degree in mechanical engineering with a focus on renewable energy in Mumbai, India, his city of origin. Later, he moved to Germany to pursue a Master Degree in Sustainable Management from RWTH Aachen, including an exchange semester at Politecnico di Milano in Italy. His Master's thesis at E.On Energy Research Center was titled "Decarbonization of the German Transportation Sector." During his academic journey, he also gained industrial experience through an internship at Robert Bosch GmbH in the Sustainability and Energy Management Team.
Rishab leveraged opportunities from his work experiences at PwC in 2022 and now at Porsche Consulting. He acquired valuable project insights working with leading DAX companies, focusing on Sustainability Strategy, Sustainability Reporting, and Decarbonization. In his research, he aims to integrate technical expertise in sustainability with strategic insights into industries acquired through his consulting roles. His primary research focus includes Sustainability Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Decarbonization Strategy, Green Certification, Net-Zero Path, and Carbon Pricing.
EDUCATION:
- MSc. (Sustainable Management Energy & Water): RWTH Aachen University (09/2021)
- Bachelor (Mechanical Engineering): Mumbai University (06/2018)