Franziska Hesser

Franziska Hesser is a Privatdozentin at the Institute for Marketing and Innovation, Department of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). She is also the Team Leader for Sustainable Innovation and Impact Analysis at Wood K plus (Competence Center Wood GmbH) since 2023, leading research projects funded from 2023 to 2026. Her academic and research profile is deeply rooted in sustainability science, innovation processes, and market analysis within bio-based and wood-based production systems.

Her research interests span Sustainability Assessment, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Technology Assessment, Innovation Research, and Market Research, with a focus on integrating environmental, economic, and social dimensions into R&D processes. She investigates methodological challenges in quantifying sustainability during early technology development, stakeholder integration, and eco-efficiency trade-offs in bio-based value chains.

The 15 most recent articles reflect a strong trend in life cycle sustainability assessment, particularly in bio-based materials, wood valorization, and biorefineries. Her work emphasizes eco-efficiency analysis, hot-spot identification, and the integration of LCA into innovation processes. She frequently contributes technical and research reports for EU and Austrian governmental projects, demonstrating applied and policy-relevant research.

She has supervised numerous master’s and doctoral theses on topics such as short rotation coppice sustainability, forest bioeconomy, and life cycle assessment of fiberboards. She is actively involved in the scientific community as a reviewer for journals including Journal of Cleaner Production, Forests, and Forest Policy and Economics. She has organized and chaired workshops, including the 24th SETAC Europe LCA Symposium and National IEA Bioenergy Task 42 Stakeholder Meetings.

Franziska Hesser leads the COST Action project 'European network of FURan based chemicals and materials' (CA18220), highlighting her role in international research collaboration. Her work bridges technical innovation with market and sustainability considerations, contributing significantly to the advancement of the forest-based bioeconomy.