Team

Nils Wendler
M.A., Doctoral Candidate
nwendler [at] philsem.uni-kiel.de

Nils was confronted with different perspectives on global problems such as climate change from the very beginning of studying politics, economics and philosophy at the University of Oldenburg. Given his main interest in philosophy, he then decided to pursue a master’s degree in Practical Philosophy of the Economy and Environment in Kiel. During his studies, from 2018 to 2020, he gained further insights into topics such as climate ethics and global justice. His master’s thesis engages with the debate on financing adaptation to climate change and discusses key allocation criteria. Continuing this work in the project, Nils conducts a normative analysis of the processes and criteria that are relevant in the allocation of adaptation finance in our Work Package 2. Based on theories of distributive and procedural justice and results from Work Package 1 he investigates how funding should be allocated from an ethical perspective. His research is supervised by Christian Baatz. More generally, he is interested in questions of applied ethics and normative ethics. In his leisure time, Nils enjoys playing and watching sports. 

Publications

Klöck, C.; Baatz, C.; Wendler, N. (2025): Procedural justice and (in)equitable participation in climate negotiations. In: UCL Open Environment 7, e3116.

Tank, Lukas; Wendler, N.; Carstensen-Mainka, J.P. (2024) Absolute Fairness and
Weighted Lotteries. In: Utilitas (36) 4, 352–361.

Tank, L.; Wendler, N.; Carstensen Mainka, J.P. (2025) Risk, Overlap, and Two Forms of Aggregation. In: Noûs, e70031 (early view).

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Dr. Alexander Schulan
Doctoral Candidate
schulan [at] philsem.uni-kiel.de

Alex studied economics with a minor in logic and philosophy of science at LMU Munich and University of Warwick. After earning his Ph.D. in empirical economics from TU Darmstadt, he worked several years with banks and asset managers. During parental leave, Alex continued his interest in philosophy and ethics and received an M.A. in philosophy from LMU Munich. As a postdoctoral research associate, Alex worked three years in an inter- and transdisciplinary BMBF-project on economic aspects of public security at the chair of econometrics of Goethe University Frankfurt. In association with Munich Graduate School for Ethics in Practice (MKEP) at LMU Munich, he started his research on climate ethics. Alex also teaches climate ethics at Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society at LMU Munich. Beyond this, he is especially interested in intergenerational justice and democracy. In the adjust project, he investigates for Work Package 4 whether the degree of democratic decision-making in countries or regions that receive international finance to adapt to climate change should influence the allocation of funding. His research is supervised by Christian Baatz and Jan-Christoph Heilinger. Alex is married, has two children and likes being outdoors in nature.

Publications

The effects of the macroeconomy on the yield curve in the short and medium term and on the relative attractiveness of the main asset classes: three empirical essays. Dissertation, 2009.

Behavioural Economics of Security. European Journal for Security Research, October 2019, Volume 4, Issue 2, pp 273–286.

Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse in der Kriminalprävention. With H. Entorf (2018). In: Evidenzorientierte Kriminalprävention in Deutschland. Ein Leitfaden für Politik und Praxis. Editors: M. Walsh, B. Pniewski, M. Kober und A. Armborst, Springer VS. S. 369-382.

Der Wert der Sicherheit. Erste Ergebnisse einer Befragung von Bevölkerung und Experten. Working paper, 2019.

Status Quo der Bewertung von Sicherheitsmaßnahmen – Evidenz aus Experteninterviews. With H. Entorf, working paper, 2017.

Ökonomische Bewertungsverfahren zur Evaluierung von Sicherheitsmanagement: Ein einleitender Überblick. With H. Entorf, working paper, 2017.

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Dorothee Fehling
M.Sc., Doctoral Candidate
fehling [at] geographie.uni-kiel.de

During her studies of Geography at the University of Göttingen, Dorothee discovered her interest in the dynamics of the coastal zone. To continue working in this field, she moved to Kiel to study Environmental Geography and Environmental Management with a focus on coastal risk. In her studies, she realized that not only the physical mechanisms of the coastal zone but also its human interactions are important to evaluate and plan adaptation and mitigation measurements. In Work Package 3 of the adjust project, she is now investigating the Seychelles’ vulnerability towards climate change and sea level rise, using the Dynamic Interactive Vulnerability Assessment (DIVA) model. With respect to different SSP scenarios and adaptation strategies, Dorothee will also be working on the development of adaptation pathways for Seychelles. Her research is supervised by Athanasios Vafeidis. During her free time, Dorothee enjoys running and climbing or spending time in nature.

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Clara Bartram Gurresø
M.S., M.A., Doctoral Candidate
gurresoe [at] philsem.uni-kiel.de

Clara has a background in human geography and development studies. Her involvement in climate politics began when she joined a youth delegation to the UNFCCC climate negotiations in 2014, exposing her to the complex justice issues related to climate change. Since then she has continued to participate in the negotiations, with a particular focus on small island states and the workstream on Loss and Damage. She is now pursuing a PhD with adjust, exploring the current allocation of adaptation finance and the implicit and explicit criteria that guide it in our Work Package 1. Clara’s research is supervised by Carola Klöck,Christian Martin and Christian Baatz. Her free-time is often used on the water as she enjoys scuba diving and surfing.

Publications

B. Gurresø, C. I. (2024) Distribution of Adaptation Finance in the Global South: A Qualitative Investigation of Current Procedures and Criteria. PhD thesis. Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel.

B. Gurresø, C. I. (2024) Germany’s allocation of bilateral adaptation aid: Understanding the role of institutional context in shaping allocation decisions. In: Earth System Governance 21, 1-13.

Klöck, C.; B. Gurresø, C. I. et al (2023) Beyond AOSIS: small island states’ presence and participation at COP27. In: Climate and Development, 1-12.

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Jule Olbricht, M.A.
Project Management
olbricht [at] philsem.uni-kiel.de

Jule was studying environmental management in Giessen but missed discussions of the normative dimension of environmental issues, such as global justice, environmental ethics and sustainability. She thus moved to Kiel, pursuing an M.A. in Practical Philosophy of the Economy and Environment. During her studies, Jule worked as graduate assistant for the chair of Environmental Philosophy and Ethics and was engaged in a charitable cargo bike rental and education service to support the transformation of Kiel’s traffic system. Now she manages the adjust project. Her main responsibilities are the coordination of the research process, management of funds, organization of events and public relations. Her two children are attending a forest kindergarten.

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Jochen Heubach, M.A.
Project Coordination
jheubach [at] philsem.uni-kiel.de

Jochen studied teaching in Politics, Economics and Ethics in Freiburg before deciding to devote himself to the practical philosophical problems that climate change imposes on us. During his master studies in Practical Philosophy of the Economy and the Environment at Kiel University, he already worked as a research assistant for adjust, in addition to other positions at the department of philosophy. During his master studies, he also completed a Certificate course in Research Ethics at Kiel University. As a Project Coordinator, his main responsibilities are the coordination of the research process, management of funds, organization of events and public relations.