Top funding: BTU researcher receives 1 million euros from the Postdoc Network Brandenburg

Brandenburg is continuing its promotion of bright minds: the Postdoc Network Brandenburg (PNB) is honouring outstanding national and international postdoctoral researchers for the fourth time since 2019. This year, environmental economist Dr Charlotte Gerling from the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) is receiving an award for her interdisciplinary research approach in the module area of climate change, land use and species conservation. Her research group will receive a total of one million euros over the next four years - the highest level of funding awarded by the network.

Pioneering work in the conflicting areas of climate change, land use and species conservation

Science Minister Dr Manja Schüle: "Charlotte Gerling's research project is dedicated to the conflicting priorities of climate change, land use and species conservation - and thus to highly topical, virulent and global problems. Her economic analysis of ecosystems and the models derived from it should provide important information for the examination of policy instruments for species conservation in the future. It will thus be doing pioneering work in this field. Our slogan 'The future is made in Brandenburg' not only sounds good - it is also meant very seriously. The prerequisites for this are good framework conditions for our universities and, above all, attractive career opportunities for scientists. To this end, we amended our Higher Education Act just last year in order to strengthen the academic mid-level staff and create incentives for more permanent positions. And the Postdoc Network Brandenburg with its top-level funding has already been in place for several years."

A great gain for the Chair of Environmental Economics at BTU

Prof. Dr Gesine Grande, President of BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg: "I congratulate our young researcher on this outstanding award. The highly endowed funding for young researchers will enable Charlotte Gerling to expand her innovative, interdisciplinary research at the interface of economics and Environmental Sciences at BTU with her own research group and to further raise her profile both nationally and internationally. A great gain for the Chair of Environmental Economics, our Global Change profile line and the entire BTU."

Dr Charlotte Gerling: "The funding from the PNB will allow me to concentrate fully on my research in the coming years. I am particularly looking forward to building a strong team of doctoral candidates and devoting myself to the methodological and content-related questions that particularly fascinate me. It is a great honour to have been selected from such a competitive field of applicants - and I hope to be able to make a contribution to species conservation in climate change with my research."

Applications were received from 18 countries

With her application, Dr Charlotte Gerling has prevailed in an international, highly competitive field of applicants from 18 countries. She will take up the position of research group leader at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg on 1 April 2025. Her interdisciplinary research group "MOTION-CB: Modelling interactions for sustainable land use transformation: Climate change and Biodiversity" will deal with the topics of species conservation and the preservation of ecosystem services, e.g. carbon storage, with limited financial resources. The focus is on agricultural landscapes and the more difficult conditions of climate change.