Kai Niebert

Prof. Dr. Kai Niebert is a Professor of Natural Science Education and Sustainability at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and leads the Department of Science Didactics. He established the Anthropocene Learning Lab and the Science Education degree program. Previously, he held professorial roles at Leuphana University Lüneburg and served as a visiting scholar at Penn State University and Curtin University of Technology. His research focuses on science education for sustainability, climate change communication, and the integration of planetary boundaries into curricula.

Education: Kai Niebert earned a Dr. rer. nat. (Doctor of Natural Sciences) from Leibniz University Hannover in 2011, following studies in biology, chemistry, and political science. He was a scholarship recipient of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation from 2002–2006.

Research Interests: Niebert’s work bridges science communication, sustainability education, and embodied cognition. Key areas include conceptual change in learning, the role of metaphors in teaching complex systems, and designing evidence-based educational programs for sustainable development. He co-created MOOCs on 'Teaching Science at University' and 'Teaching Sustainability' on Coursera.

Publications: Over 50 peer-reviewed articles and books, including works on climate education, planetary boundaries, and energy transition. Recent topics address decision-makers’ competencies for sustainability and the political dimensions of climate education.

Awards: 2014 Teaching Award from Leuphana University; 2011 Young Talent Award in Biology Didactics.

Leadership Roles: President of the German Nature Conservation Association (DNR), member of the Bioeconomy Council, and EU High-Level Group for Sustainability Financing. He has advised government bodies like Germany’s Coal Commission and the National Advisory Committee for Repository Search.

Lab/Initiatives: Head of the PhD program 'Public Understanding of Science' at UZH. Co-developed the 'Rohstoff-Expedition' curriculum to teach material cycles and sustainability in schools.