Maximilian Benner

Maximilian Benner is a Senior Scientist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Vienna, Department of Geography and Regional Research, with a habilitation degree in human geography. He also serves as a non-tenured associate professor at the University of Klagenfurt. His work focuses on innovation-based regional development, sustainability, and inclusiveness within EU policy frameworks like the European Green Deal, smart specialization, and partnerships for regional innovation.

• Institutional and Evolutionary Economic Geography
• Geography of Sustainability Transitions
• Interplay between Agency, Institutional Context, and Policy Processes
• Emission-Intensive Industries (e.g., Chemical Regions)

Benner's research explores how ideational and discursive processes shape regional socio-economic transformations. He is involved in the RITMEP project (funded by the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund) to study just transitions in industrial regions. His publications emphasize complex transitions at the nexus of climate change, pollution, and policy legitimacy. He contributes to journals as an editorial board member of European Planning Studies and reviewer for multiple journals.

He collaborates with teams at the University of Vienna's Economic Geography working group, including Michael Trippl, and mentors PhD student Mikel Oleaga. His work bridges academic research with practical policy consulting, particularly in Tunisia and Cyprus.