Frank Zirkl

Dr. Frank Zirkl is a Researcher at the Human Geography Working Group, Department of Geography, within the Faculty of Mathematics and Geography at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. He holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Tübingen (2008) and has dedicated his career to geographical urban research, economic geography, human-environment relationships, and sustainability studies, with a regional focus on Latin America (especially Brazil) and Southern Germany/Alps.

• PhD: University of Tübingen (2008)
• Diploma: University of Tübingen & Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (1996)

His research explores urban sustainability challenges, informal economies, agribusiness impacts, tourism dynamics, and rural-urban linkages. He examines how governance systems address environmental degradation, spatial inequality, and socio-economic conflicts in Brazilian cities and Alpine regions.

Recent publications analyze sustainability tensions in Bavarian hop production, periurban real estate-tourism interactions in the Alps, informal recycling networks in Brazil, and agribusiness-driven urbanization in Mato Grosso. His empirical work spans Curitiba's waste management, São Paulo's migration patterns, and Garmisch-Partenkirchen's tourism-driven housing markets.

He has led projects like Senatra – Service Learning and Sustainable Transformation at Universities (2022–2025) and contributed to Bavarian tourism-real estate sustainability reports. While no formal awards are listed, his work influences policy through conferences, edited books, and peer-reviewed journals like Standort and Confins.