PD Dr. Felix Kienast

• Head of Section Landscape Dynamics and Spatial development (since 1998 till 2006)
• Permanent lecturer at the University of Bern (1994 - 2005)
• Permanent lecturer at ETH Zürich (since 2005)

Education/Research

• since 1998: Section head "Landscape Dynamics and Spatial development” at the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, deputy division head
• since 1998: Research scientist at Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
• 1985-1988: Postdoctoral fellow & consultant at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
• 1979-1985: Diploma and PhD studies Univ. Zürich

Research interest

• Evaluation of historic and present landscape patterns and processes.
• Landscape models designed for simulating potential future landscape development.
• Analysis of interactions between landscape changes and ecological as well as socio-economical drivers. The coupling of nature and social science approaches is a decisive element in my research.

Project involvement

• EU-project "European landscape character assessment initiative ELCAI"
• NSF-project "Transformation rates of Alpine landscapes and surrounding areas: potential threats and benefits to people and selected species"
• Interdisciplinary Project "River restoration – sustainable river management (example Rhone-Thur)"
• EU-project "BIOSCENE: Scenarios for reconciling biodiversity conservation with declining agricultural use in the mountains of Europe "
• NSF-project "ABANDALP: Using the past to assess the future of abandoned land in the Alps: Simulating forest development using long-term surveys from the Swiss National Park"
• EU-project SENSOR

Web extension

• Expert model to simulate faunistic biodiversity in Switzerland
• Information package on climate-change and potential vegetation changes
• Potential UNESCO biosphere reserves in Switzerland: an online evaluation package
• Potential large conservation areas in Switzerland - a GIS assisted search
• Wood anatomy online - Microscopic Wood Anatomy of Central European species. Identify your species with online high resolution cross- and length sections from trunks and twigs.
• River restoration

Editorial boards

• Landscape Ecology (Kluwer)
• Environmental Management (Springer)
• Geographica Helvetica

IALE-activities

Deputy Secretary General of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (IALE), Bulletin Editor of IALE International

IALE Bulletin

IALE Switzerland

Teaching experience

• 1994-2005: Lecturer at the University of Berne (Geobotany)
• 1996-2005: Venia legendi University of Berne
• 2005: Venia legendi ETH Zürich
• Supervision of PhD theses
• Supervision of Diploma theses
• Courses offered at a regular basis at ETH Zürich