05 September 2012

2012 IIASA postdoctoral research fellows selected

IIASA is pleased to announce its 2012 postdoctoral researchers: Wei Liu and Nicklas Forsell.

©IIASA

©IIASA

Wei Liu studies the connections between biodiversity, human impacts, and natural hazards, and will join IIASA’s RPV program. Nicklas Forsell will join IIASA’s ESM program to conduct research on bioenergy and natural resource policy.

IIASA currently funds two post-doctoral research fellows each year, selected through a highly competitive process. Applications for 2013 will open in October 2012.  For more information please visit the Postdoctoral Research at IIASA Web page.


Meet the new IIASA Post-Docs 

Nicklas Forsell: How much biofuel can we produce sustainably?

Image courtesy Nicklas Forsell
Nicklas Forsell studies the links between bioenergy, forestry, and agriculture. Originally from Sweden, Forsell comes to IIASA from MINES ParisTech in France to join IIASA’s Ecosystems Services and Management (ESM) program. Bioenergy provides an alternative and renewable source of energy, but since bioenergy and biofuels are produced on the same forests and cropland that are used for wood and food production, it’s important to weigh the costs and impacts. Forsell’s research will examine how much bioenergy can be produced sustainably, while also preserving agriculture and forest resources.  His work will focus on environmental and economic consequences of policies, with the goal of providing useful information for policymakers.

Wei Liu: Preserving biodiversity and improving human well-being in China

Image courtesy Wei Liu
Wei Liu, originally from China, joins the Risk, Policy, and Vulnerability (RPV) program at IIASA just after completing a PhD in Wildlife Conservation and Wildland Management at Michigan State University. There, Liu studied how various conservation and development programs in the Wolong Nature Reserve in China impacted panda habitat and populations and the local community there. At IIASA, Liu plans to take his research further, by developing models and scenarios to investigate how changing land use affects ecosystem service provision and natural hazard vulnerability in the reserve. His study will also explore how well payment for ecosystem service (PES) programs work in encouraging conservation, and how these programs affect people.



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Last edited: 05 September 2012

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