Nils Unthan

Nils Unthan is a Lecturer at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg since October 2024 and a Scientific Project Manager at the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) since autumn 2023. His work focuses on structural change in lignite-mining regions and socio-ecological transformations driven by social innovations in rural-peripheral biosphere reserves.

• Education:
  • B.Sc. in Urban and Regional Planning, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg
  • M.Sc. in Geography, University of Innsbruck
• Current Roles:
  • Lecturer, Department of Urban Design and Urban Studies, BTU
  • Scientific Project Manager, BBSR
  • Ph.D. candidate, Department of Geography, University of Innsbruck

His research intersects geography, sustainability, and urban studies, with a focus on rural development, biosphere reserves, and climate policy impacts. At BBSR, he examines coal phase-out dynamics, while his doctoral work explores social innovations as catalysts for ecological transitions.