Jens Martin Gurr

Prof. Dr. Jens Martin Gurr is Chair of British and Anglophone Literature and Culture at the University of Duisburg-Essen since 2007. He leads the interdisciplinary Joint Center Urban Systems and coordinates the University Alliance Ruhr's 'Metropolitan Research' initiative. His research bridges literary studies with urban complexity, focusing on urban imaginaries, postindustrial narratives, and climate change literacy.

Education: PhD (2003) and Habilitation (2006) in English Literature from Gerhard-Mercator-Universität Duisburg. Previously held visiting professorships at the University of Waterloo and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Research Interests: Literary urban studies, 18th-century British literature, British Romanticism, interdisciplinary urban modeling, and climate change communication. He authored Charting Literary Urban Studies (2020) and co-edited volumes like City Scripts (2023).

Grants/Projects: Leads DFG-AHRC 'Just Futures' project (2023-2026), Volkswagen Foundation-funded 'Climate Change Literacy' initiative, and coordinates the 'Metropolitan Research' competence field. Active in urban policy advising for the Ruhr region.

Key Contributions: Pioneered frameworks linking literary texts to urban development models. His work examines how narratives shape urban futures through 'scripts' and 'path dependencies.' Active in transnational urban research networks like the University Alliance Ruhr and IN-EAST School of Advanced Studies.