Prof. Dr. Dr. Till Bärnighausen
Alexander von Humboldt University Professor, Director of the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health at Heidelberg University, HCE member since 2019.
My key research interests are:
- What are the causal impacts of climate change adaptation interventions? We work on a range of climate change adaptation interventions in all continents, including cool roofs, eco-coolers, and insulation approaches.
- What are the causal impacts of climate change mitigation interventions? We work on behavior change for lower GHG emissions through change in our nutrition, exercise, heating and transport habits.
- We are further researching optimal designs of climate change adaptation and mitigation interventions and evaluate subjective and lived experiences, economic value and cross-context transportability of climate change adaptation and mitigation interventions.
Why I joined the HCE
My primary motivation for becoming a member of the HCE was to connect even more strongly and effectively to colleagues who work on climate change and sustainability at Heidelberg University -- I was particularly keen to learn from our colleagues who work on climate change and sustainability from a policy and physics (measurement) perspective. In addition, I was and am keen to initiate joint grant applications in the intersection of sustainability and health.
My highlights so far
The in-person network meeting were very educational and the HCE has fully fulfilled its network function promise. The HCE has also given several of our junior faculty and excellent sounding board for ideas and a "signal" of domain interest and expertise in sustainability science, in addition to population and global health.
My key partners
Jale Tosun (Political Science) and Timo Göschl (Economics) have been inspiring sparring partners within HCE.
We have large grants with a wide range of global institutions in the intersection of sustainability and health. These include Harvard (we are partners on a new center grant with Harvard and other global partners, funded by the National Institutes of Health -- C-EARTH -- on climate change and health), UP in Barcelona, Erasmus University in Rotterdam, University of Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Makarere University in Kampala, University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban (UKZN), Stellenbosch University, Africa Health Research Institute in Durban and Somkhele, BRAC University in Dhaka, and Monash University Kuala-Lumpur, Center de Recherche en Sante de Nouna and the National Institute of Public Health in Burkina Faso.