Team

Research Group Leader

• Tasks
  • Leader of the Junior Research Group SEE-URBAN-WATER
  • Professor of Digital Environmental Planning at the Institute of Environmental Planning, Leibniz University Hannover
  • Supervision of Bachelor and Master thesis
  • Coordination of cooperation with Universidad Technológica La Salle in León, Nicaragua, and Universidad de Costa Rica

   

  Research:

  • Urbanization and Water Resources
  • Green infrastructure and Nature-based Solutions
  • Urban Ecology and Urban Streams
  • Hydrological Ecosystem Service Valuation and Development of Compensation Schemes
  • Ecosystem Services
  • Integrated Water Resources Management and Development in Latin America

   

  Contributions to working groups:

  • Speaker of the working group "Integrated Water Resources Management and Water Scarcity" of the German Hydrological Association
  • Member of the PIANC ENVICOM Working Group 195 "An Introduction to applying Ecosystem Services for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure Projects"

   

  Doctoral thesis:

  Payments for Hydrological Ecosystem Services in Integrated Water Resources Management.

   

  Teaching projects:

  • DAAD-short term lectures at Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral, Guayaquil, Ecuador, - "Infraestructuras verdes para la resiliencia urbana", 2019 - 2021
  • DAAD-short term lectures at Univerisidad Tecnológica La Salle in León, Nicaragua, - "Gestión Integrada de Recursos Hidricos" and "Tecnología Ambiental", 2015 - 2017
  • Guest lectures as part of the ERASMUS+-lecturer mobility action at Università degli Studi di Salerno, Italien, - "Integrated Water Resources Management and Ecosystem Services". 2014
  • Supervision of the lecture "Integrated Water Resource Management and Development" of the postgraduate course Tropical Hydrogeology, Engineering Geology and Environmental Management
  • Organisation and execution of the Spanish seminar „Agua como factor de desarollo“ for Latin American students in Hesse in cooperation with the World University Service (2011)
  • Organisation and execution of the interdisciplinary lecture series „Power of Infrastructures“ in cooperation with the Institute of History of TU Darmstadt (2010-2011)
  • Seminar "Shaping globalization sustainably!?" - Interdisciplinary student project as part of the interdisciplinary lecture programme "Technology and international development" (2010)
  • Coordination of the interdisciplinary study programme "Technology and international Development", Jan. 2009 - April 2011
• Publications
  Publikationsliste – Institut für Umweltplanung – Leibniz Universität Hannover (uni-hannover.de)

Scientific Staff

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  She is a Nicaraguan Biologist, with a Master in Environmental Science and water quality management from the Institute for Water Education, IHE Delft. She has more than seven years of working experience in water resources in Nicaragua. She has been actively engaged in research projects, such as low-cost technologies for domestic wastewater treatment, groundwater quality monitoring and treatment of pesticide runoff waters. Her professional interest is to contribute to increase life quality of her fellow citizens through the improvement of water and sanitation conditions in her country. As for 2018, Maria has joined the SEE-URBAN-WATER Research Group, working in the development of alternatives to restore water quality of rivers in León, Nicaragua.  

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  Conrad graduated his Master in Governance and Public Policy at the TU Darmstadt with a thesis on the influence of international actors on national policies, taking Costa Rica’s Climate Policy as an example. During his studies he focused on international environmental and climate governance with a special interest in technology and international development as well as on human-environment relations. He gained international experience among others at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, the Tongji University Shanghai and the Universidad de Costa Rica. The last two years he worked in Costa Rica as an independent sustainability consultant in the public and private sector and founded the start-up "ParqueO²", which is dedicated to the greening of public spaces. He joined the SEE-URBAN-WATER Research group to gain new perspectives by the implementation of nature based solutions and to benefit from the transdisciplinary and international working atmosphere. In return, he would like to support the group with his knowledge of Costa Rica's policies and his interest in environmental innovation.  

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  Manuel Beissler is a Researcher in the field of Nature-based Solutions in urban planning at the inter- and transdisciplinary Research Group SEE-URBAN-WATER. As exchange student in Nicaragua, he conducted research on the potential of urban river ecosystem services. He holds a M.Sc. degree in Environmental Engineering. As an Engineer he is combining Geographic Information Systems and modeling to research on complex societal challenges such as flooding and biodiversity loss to answering them with the planning and implementation of multifunctional Nature-based Solutions. With the aspiration of sustainable and holistic NbS Planning, he is embedding and developing web-based geographic communication tools in his Research to break down transdisciplinary barriers and enhance mutual learning and social acceptance on NbS.

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  Coming Soon

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  Civil engineer by profession, graduated from the University of Costa Rica. He completed his professional practice within the department of basic engineering studies, construction and hydrology of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), specifically in the elaboration of hydrological and statistical analyses for valuation data. In his final graduation project corresponding to the "Analysis of the hydraulic structures of the Guayabo National Monument", in Costa Rica, a hydrological analysis of the basin to which the monument belongs was carried out, as well as an analysis of the systems for the management of the surface runoff and the system for water supply for human consumption. Once he achieved the civil engineering degree, he worked as a consulting engineer in the realization of hydrology and hydraulic consultancies. Participating in the realization of hydrological and hydraulic modeling for bridge construction, surface flooding modeling and design of runoff management systems. Recently, he worked as a researcher at the Center for Research and Studies for Sustainable Development (CIEDES) of the University of Costa Rica (UCR), specifically related to the planning, coordination and implementation of hydraulic structures in river basins with priority for human consumptive use.  

External PhD Students

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  Gonzalo Pradilla is an interdisciplinary researcher working at the intersection between water resources management, landscape ecology, and urban planning and policy. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, a Master’s in Environment and Development, and a second Master’s in Integrated Water Resources Management from the Cologne University of Applied Sciences. Over the last years, he has worked on diverse topics, from social-ecological resilience, participatory research, and climate change adaptation, to green-blue infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and sustainable urban planning. His doctoral research examines how the restoration of urban rivers contributes to more resilient, just, healthy, and sustainable cities, by exploring the effects of land-use change on the social-ecological connectivity of urban landscapes, the equitable provision and access to open public spaces, and the well-being of citizens.  

Student Assistant

Former Scientific Staff

Former Student Assistant