Christoph Dittrich

Prof. Dr. Christoph Dittrich serves as Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences and Geography at the University of Göttingen since April 2021, Head of the Department of Human Geography since 2011, and previously as Managing Director of the Institute of Geography (2013-2021). His academic career is deeply rooted in human geography with a focus on development issues in global contexts.

He completed his doctorate in 1995 researching smallholder food security in northern Pakistan (DFG-funded) and habilitation in 2002 analyzing globalization effects in Bengaluru, India (DFG-funded). His educational trajectory established foundations for his regionally focused empirical work.

Dittrich's research centers on sustainable resource use in megacities of developing/emerging economies, conflict-prone human-environment relationships, and rural-urban dynamics. With regional specialization in South/Southeast Asia (particularly India), his work integrates gender perspectives and examines food systems, land conflicts, and sustainability transitions through theory-driven yet practice-oriented approaches. Current investigations focus on rurban spaces and middle-class consumption patterns.

No scientific awards were explicitly documented in the source material.

He actively supervises student research on public services, health, housing, and sustainability transitions while leading major funded projects including the DFG research group FOR5903 'Sustainable Rurbanity' (2025-2029), prior DFG collaborations in Bengaluru (2016-2023), Hyderabad sustainability studies (2006-2013), and Sumatra land conflict research (2011-2015). His grant portfolio demonstrates sustained competitive funding from DFG and BMBF.

Dittrich directs interdisciplinary research teams within the DFG's Collaborative Research Center 990 and FOR2432 frameworks, emphasizing social-ecological systems analysis at rural-urban interfaces. His laboratory approach integrates fieldwork with policy-relevant knowledge production.