Maria Hänsel

Maria Hänsel is currently a Natural Resources and Climate Change Specialist at the FAO in Rome since October 2023. Previously, she held roles at the University of Bayreuth’s Department of Earth Science, including teaching and research in agri-environmental policies and ecosystem services. Her academic background includes a Master’s (2016) and Bachelor’s (2012) in Geoecology and Environmental Sciences from the University of Bayreuth.

• Education: M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Geoecology, University of Bayreuth
• PhD Research: Focus on agri-environmental policy design in Bavaria
• Key Roles: Research associate (2017–2018), Teaching (2018–2023)

Her research interests center on agri-environmental policies, ecosystem services of agricultural landscapes, and sustainable land management. She has explored soil conservation strategies in Ethiopia and policy impacts on multifunctional landscapes.

Notable achievements include the BayCEER Bridge Builder Prize (2016) and contributions to transdisciplinary sustainability research. Her work bridges policy analysis, agent-based modeling, and public perception studies to address climate and land-use challenges.

Labs/Teams: Active in interdisciplinary projects at the University of Bayreuth, focusing on policy modeling and ecosystem service valuation.