Background

Dr. Jörg Szarzynski holds a diploma in Geography from the University of Bonn and a PhD in Physical Geography and Atmospheric Sciences from the Universities in Mannheim and Göttingen. He has broad expertise in climatology and remote sensing, global environmental change research, capacity-building and web-based data and information management. His work experience also encompasses curriculum development, organization of international seminars and workshops and lecturing within i nternational training courses on remote sensing applications for Risk and Disaster Management in several African countries, especially in West, Eastern and Southern Africa.

Prior to joining UNU-EHS, Jörg was working as Senior Researcher at the Center for Development Research (ZEF), Bonn, Germany, where he also served as coordinator and lecturer at the Bonn International Graduate School for Development Research (BIGS-DR). Subsequent to ZEF, Jörg joined the German Aerospace Center (DLR) where he was in charge of the coordination of capacity development activities within the German Indonesian-Tsunami Early Warning System (GITEWS). Later on, DLR seconded him as Senior Expert to the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER). Within the team, he was principle desk officer for Africa responsible for relief activities after natural disasters, technical consultation, information management, collaborative network development and the cluster on health and climate change adaptation. He also contributed to the design and development of the UN-SPIDER Knowledge Portal, outreach activities, awareness-raising,and the conduction of Technical Advisory Missions officially requested at governmental level.

Working area at UNU-EHS

Jörg has joined UNU-EHS in October 2011. He is responsible for managing the conceptual design and coordination of the UNU-EHS PhD programme and training courses for graduate professionals. As Educational Officer at UNU-EHS he also contributes to the development of training materials and e-learning modules as well as to the supervision of MSc and PhD scholars. Jörg serves as UNU-EHS focal point to the University of Bonn with regard to the implementation of joint educational activities. His research interests focus on environmental change and sustainable development research , early warning systems and disaster management, and intercultural training and education concepts .

Recent projects

During the last years, he worked with different universities and international research centres as team leader for scientific projects such as a Biophysical Forest Monitoring Program in Latin America (Surumoni-Project, Venezuela), or environmental change research programmes in West Africa including comprehensive field-based data acquisition systems and aircraft observation missions in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin.

• German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System (GITEWS)

• BIOTA West Africa

• GLOWA Volta

• A frican Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA)

• Radeau des Cimes , Operation Canopée, La Makandé, Gabon

Publications (selection)

Kienberger, S.; Castellano, A.; Zeil, P.; Raulin, A.; Szarzynski, J. (2011): Geoinformation for Disaster Risk Reduction in South East Africa. GEOConnexion International Magazine. Cambridge, UK, submitted.

Backhaus, R. Czaran, L.; Epler, N.; Leitgab, M.; Young Suc Lyu, T.; Ravan, S.; Stevens, D.; Stumpf, P.; Szarzynski, J.; Villagran de Leon, J.C.  (2010): Support from Space: The United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER). In: Geoinformation for Disaster and Risk Management. Examples and Best Practices. Joint Board of Geospatial Information Societies (JB GIS). (Altan, O., Backhaus, R., Boccardo, P., and S. Zlatanova, Eds.) Copenhagen, Denmark: pp. 103 – 113.

Szarzynski, J.; Stevens, D. (2009): Space-Based Solutions for Disaster and Emergency Medicine. In: Prehosp. Disast. Med., 2009, 24 (2): p. 79.

Barthlott, W.; Szarzynski, J.; Korotkova, N.; Vlek, P.; Lobin, W. (2008): A torch in the rainforest: thermogenesis of the Titan Arum (Amorphophallus Titanum). Plant Biology.

Grote, R.; Lehmann, E.; Brümmer, Chr.; Brüggemann, N.; Szarzynski, J.; Kunstmann, H. (2008): Modelling and observation of biosphere–atmosphere interactions in natural savannah in Burkina Faso, West Africa. In: Journal of Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Available online DOI information: 10.1016/j.pce.2008.05.003.

Brümmer, C.; Brüggemann, N.; Butterbach-Bahl, K.; Falk, U.; Szarzynski, J.; Vielhauer, K.; Wassmann, R.; Papen, H. (2008): Soil-Atmosphere Exchange of N2O and NO in Near-Natural Savanna and Agricultural Land in Burkina Faso (W. Africa). Ecosystems: 11: pp. 582–600.

Compaore, H.; Hendrickx, J.M.H.; Hong, S.; Friesen, J.; van de Giesen, N.C.; Rodgers, C.; Szarzynski, J.; Vlek, P.L.G. (2008): Evaporation Mapping at two scales in the White Volta Basin, Upper East Ghana, using optical imagery. In: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth. 33: pp. 127–140.

Szarzynski, J. (2007): Capacity Building within the GITEWS project. Workshop on Risk Modelling and Vulnerability Assessment of the Joint Indonesian – German Working Group, July 31st - August 3rd 2007, Bandung, West-Java, Indonesia.

Szarzynski, J.; Kunstmann, H.; Falk, U.; Rodgers, C.; Vlek, P.L.G. (2007): Monitoring of Climate Variability and Land Cover Changes in support of Human Health Research in West Africa. International Conference-Towards Sustainable Global Health, May 9 – 11, 2007, Bonn, Germany.

Tia, L.; Szarzynski, J.; Vlek, P.L.G. (2007): Ecological modeling of tree patterns and diversity as a means of classifying savanna landscapes: Remote sensing and GIS-based mapping. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 9, 08887, 2007, SRef-ID: 1607-7962/gra/EGU2007-A-08887, © European Geosciences Union 2007.

Falk; Szarzynski, J.; Landmann, T.; Schmidt, M. (2007): Impact of climate and environmental changes on regional biodiversity. Results and perspectives from the BIOTA West Africa and GLOWA Volta research networks in West Africa. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 9, 08987, 2007, SRef-ID: 1607-7962/gra/EGU2007-A-08987, © European Geosciences Union 2007.

Wittig, R.; König, K.; Schmidt, M.; Szarzynski, J. (2007): A Study of Climate change and Anthropogenic Impacts in West Africa. Environmental Science and Pollution Research – International (http://www.scientificjournals.com/sj/espr/abstract/doi/espr2007.02.388).