Bernhard Zagel

Bernhard Zagel is a Senior Scientist in the Department of Geoinformatics at the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg. Holding the degrees Mag. and Dr., he has built a prolific career at the intersection of geoinformatics, glaciology and sustainable mobility, leading more than 37 research projects and authoring or co-authoring 87 scholarly publications since 1998.

Education & Academic Standing
While the exact details of his doctoral studies are not reproduced in the supplied text, his long-standing affiliation with the University of Salzburg since 1998 and his current rank of Senior Scientist testify to a robust academic trajectory in geosciences and geoinformatics.

Research Interests

• Cryosphere & Climate: multi-decadal glacier mass-balance series for Stubacher Sonnblickkees and other Austrian glaciers; glacier–climate interactions; sea-level-rise implications.
• Geoinformatics & GIScience: spatial data infrastructures, GIS-based environmental monitoring, network analysis and mobility modelling.
• Sustainable Urban Mobility: digital-twin frameworks for 15-minute-city concepts, bike-sharing system planning, urban logistics and city-scale innovation labs.

His work is explicitly aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Publication Landscape
Recent outputs (2020–2025) concentrate on three thematic pillars: (1) annual glaciological monitoring reports for the LTER Stubachtal site, (2) methodological advances in GIScience for transport and mobility, and (3) open-data repositories of glacier mass-balance records now hosted on PANGAEA. These contributions collectively advance both scientific understanding and practical tools for climate adaptation.

Scientific Awards

• VCÖ Mobility Award 2019 (shared) for Sustainable Mobility research
• Esri UC Map Gallery People’s Choice Award 2009 (twice)
• Austrian Eco-label for Green Meetings (2015–2019 & 2019–2023)

Leadership & Funding
Zagel has secured and directed numerous third-party-funded projects, including the ongoing CITWIN and UML 2.0 initiatives (digital twins for sustainable mobility), and the short-term GlacierMonitorTalent 2023 project. He has served as project manager or scientific coordinator for >35 completed projects since 2006.

Laboratories & Field Sites
He acts as lead scientist and data manager for the LTER Site Sonnblickkees | Stubachtal, a flagship long-term ecological research platform in the Hohe Tauern National Park. The site integrates automated weather and ablation stakes, UAV surveys and participatory science for continuous glacier and permafrost monitoring.