Judith Kirschner

Dr. Judith Kirschner is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Geography, University of Bern, affiliated with the Geographies of Disasters Group. Her research focuses on wildfire governance, socio-ecological systems, and disaster risk reduction. She holds a PhD from the European University in Nicosia, Cyprus, where her work explored wildfire governance systems as part of the EU-funded PyroLife ITN program. Her MSc in Earth Sciences from the University of Amsterdam centered on palaeofire studies.

Her research interests include wildfire management policies, socio-political dynamics in disaster governance, and historical fire regimes. Recent work analyzes governance frameworks in Mediterranean regions (e.g., Cyprus, Italy) and community wildfire preparedness in Tuscany and Switzerland. She contributes to global wildfire risk mitigation strategies through interdisciplinary collaborations.

Publications highlight innovations in disaster governance paradigms, wildfire perception surveys, and analytical methods for reconstructing past fire events. Her work bridges ecological and social dimensions of fire, emphasizing policy adaptation to reduce disaster impacts.

Dr. Kirschner’s academic networks include the PyroLife ITN consortium and collaborations with institutions in Mediterranean and European regions. She actively participates in advancing frameworks for living with fire through research and training initiatives.