The Directors

Prof. Doris Fuchs has been a Director of the RIFS Research Institute for Sustainability | at GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences Potsdam since 1 October 2023 and is the institute's current Speaker. In addition to her work at RIFS, Doris Fuchs is also Professor of Sustainable Development at the University of Münster, where she has worked since 2008 and, among other things, established the Center of Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research (ZIN). She forms a dual leadership team alongside Prof. Mark Lawrence. 

Lawrence has been Scientific Director at RIFS (formerly IASS) since October 2011 and Honorary Professor at the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Geography at the University of Potsdam since 2013. 

Former directors

Until his retirement in September 2015, Professor Dr Klaus Töpfer was the Founding and Executive Director of the IASS. At the same time, he headed the GCS (Global Contract for Sustainability) Cluster.

Professor Dr Carlo Rubbia was a Scientific Director of the IASS from June 2010 to May 2015 with responsibility for the E³ (Earth, Energy and Environment) Cluster.

Prof. Dr Patrizia Nanz was a Scientific Director at the IASS from April 2016 to January 2021.

Jakob Meyer was an Administrative Director at the IASS from October 2017 to June 2022.

Prof. Dr Ortwin Renn was a Scientific Director from February 2016 to December 2022.