We advane science and solutions for pollution prevention, sustainable resource use, and healthier ecosystems — toward a cleaner, safer planet.
Environmental pollution is a planetary boundary already exceeded, driven by human practices, production, and consumption. This poses serious threats to planetary health.
Through our focus area on clean environment , we strive to develop a profound understanding of the impact of anthropogenic pollution on environmental systems. We design novel, environmentally friendly materials and greener processes. We are harnessing the rich scientific knowledge available at the University of Vienna—bringing together diverse backgrounds from environmental, chemical, physical, biological, social, and political sciences to address these challenges. To achieve the goal of a clean environment and zero pollution, we need not only excellent scientific understanding and technological innovation to inform solutions, but also significant advances in society, governance, and regulation.
The burning of fossil fuels, megafires and land-use changes drive CO2 levels up. How will that affect the Amazon? Will the elevated carbon fertilise the forest, boosting leaves and roots so that they will store more CO2? Or will the nutrient-deficient soils nullify the fertilisation effect that works so well in glasshouses? A spectacular international project is about to find out - and ECH is on board.
A new study of a research team led by Thilo Hofmann - co-director of the Environment and Climate Research Hub at the University of Vienna - in cooperation with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, published in the renowned journal Environmental International, shows that crops absorb tire abrasion compounds.
PFAS, the so-called ‘forever chemicals’, are non-degradable and widespread in everyday products – despite their known health risks. As regulatory action often lags behind, civil lawsuits are playing an increasingly important role in addressing environmental toxins. An interdisciplinary approach reveals: lasting solutions will require cooperation between science, law, and policy.
Who would say no to innovation? But every promising innovation leaves environmental traces – some we expect, others surprise us decades later. Whether it’s nuclear waste, microplastics, or the residues of our ever-expanding data industry. A shift in perspective could help us rethink how we deal with innovation.
Indoor climbing boosts fitness - but may come with an invisible risk. A new study reveals that air in bouldering gyms can contain high levels of rubber additives from climbing shoes - sometimes even higher than on busy roads. These chemicals, similar to those in car tires, can enter the lungs through abrasion. Researchers warn: it’s time to act before the full health impact becomes clear.
Current climate goals require the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, how this should happen is up for debate. Researchers at the University of Vienna and the Potsdam Research Institute for Sustainability took a close look at the emission reduction plans of major EU industry sectors and found a substantial but underspecified reliance on uncertain carbon removal technologies. This enables them to project currently highly emission-intensive business models into the future.
While mostly hidden, groundwater is of central importance to surface ecosystems and human society. Christian Griebler, researcher at the University of Vienna and ECH-member, recently contributed to a new global model of groundwater temperature that predicts the effects of climate change on this subterranean ecosystem.
An international team of scientists, including Andreas Stohl, ECH member, meteorologist and Vice Dean at the Faculty of Earth Sciences, Geography and Astronomy at the University of Vienna, used information stored in ice cores to model lead air pollution in the Roman Empire – and its likely consequences for human cognitive function.
Laura Maggini from the Department of Chemistry is leading the “IrrevoChrom” project.
The Irrevochrom fellowship aims to create an irreversible color changing material for use in anti-tampering, authentication and quality control applications. Currently unavailable in the market, this material will be integrated into flexible, low-cost visual indicators, particularly relevant in e-commerce.
Petra Pjevac at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CMESS) is leading the “playNICE” project.
The playNICE project aims to identify (novel) Biological Nitrification Inhibitors (BNIs) naturally secreted in the root exudates of common crop plants, evaluate the efficacy and inhibition mechanism of BNIs and their degradation productss, determine the effect of BNIs and their degradation products on soil microbially-mediated biogeochemical processes in soil.
Thilo Hofmann at the Department of Geosciences is leading the “Ocurrence and Remediation of PFAS” project.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of manufactured chemicals that have garnered significant attention due to their widespread presence in the environment and associated health risks.
Thilo Hofmann at the Department of Geosciences is leading the Biodegradable Plastics in Compost project.
In a research collaboration between the University of Vienna and BASF, Thilo Hofmann and his co-researchers develop robust methods that contribute to ongoing international standardization of biodegradable plastics.
Leticia Gonzalez at the Institute of Theoretical Chemistry is part of the Board of Directors and a lead scientist in pillar C at MECS.
The Cluster of excellence “Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage” (CoE MECS) joins multiple scientific groups from Vienna in a common quest of novel solid-state materials that will converse and/or store the energy of the light.
Ulrike Felt at the Department of Science and Technology Studies is leading the “INNORES” project.
The project investigates how contemporary societies address and care for the “left-behinds” created by innovations – we call them innovation residues.
Hampejs, V., Wala, A., Tran, U. S., Pahl, S., Egger, J. A. M., Voracek, M., & White, M. P. (2026). Health and well-being in nature: Analysis of 18,054 visit reports and implications for nature-based biopsychosocial resilience theory (NBRT). Journal of Environmental Psychology, 110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102918
Busschaert, M., Schagerl, M., Griebler, C., Vermeire, F. H., & Waldherr, S. (2026). Inferring cell division kinetics in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii from flow cytometry with Gaussian process regression. Bioresource Technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2025.133835
Jacobi, R., Zois, K. P., Mengele, A. K., Rau, S., & González, L. (2026). Tailored GAFF Parameters for Pentamethylcyclopentadienyl Rh(I/III) Complexes with α-Diimine Ligands: Validation and Solvation Studies. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Part B: Condensed Matter, Materials, Surfaces, Interfaces & Biophysical, 130(1), 472-485. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.5c07040
Lotteraner, L., Möller, T., & Hofmann, T. (2026). The Importance of Being Thorough: How Data Analysis Choices Impact the Perceived Relationship between Pollutants and Predictors. Water Research, 288, Article 124639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2025.124639
Heitger, M., Amano, C., Reinthaler, T., Papadatou, M., Pokorny, L., Alvarez-Salgado, X. A., & Herndl, G. J. (2026). Major contribution of particle-associated microbes to deep-sea organic carbon degradation. Limnology and Oceanography, 71(1), Article e70310. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.70310
Acharya, P., Yegon, M. J., Haferkemper, L., Misteli, B., Griebler, C., Vitecek, S., & Attermeyer, K. (2025). Leaf Conditioning and Shredder Activity Shape Microbial Dynamics on Fine Particulate Organic Matter Produced During Decomposition of Different Leaf Litter in Streams. Microbial Ecology, 88(1), 18. Article 18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-025-02515-2
Draga, M., Gałka, M., Knorr, K. H., Glatzel, S., Chojnicki, B. H., Fritz, C., Jassey, V. E. J., Juszczak, R., Meyer, H., Robroek, B. J. M., Thomas, C. L., & Lamentowicz, M. (2025). Long-Term Ecological Baselines and Critical Thresholds in Ombrotrophic Peatlands of Europe: Implications for Restoration Strategies. Global Change Biology, 31(12), Article e70629. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70629
Karasová, M., Jobst, M., Framke, D., Bergen, J., Meier-Menches, S., Keppler, B., Koellensperger, G., Zanghellini, J., Gerner, C., & Del Favero, G. (2025). Mechanical cues rewire lipid metabolism and support chemoresistance in epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines OVCAR3 and SKOV3. Cell communication and signaling, 23(1), Article 193. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12964-025-02144-9
Crudo, F., Dedić, ., Del Favero, G., & Castejon Caballero, N. (2025). Potential of microalgal lipids to prevent intestinal barrier disruption: A case study exploring the response of Caco-2 cells to the food contaminant deoxynivalenol. Journal of Functional Foods, 135, Article 107125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2025.107125
Kaminsky, E., Griebler, C., Englisch, C., Steiner, C., Formanek, C., Buga-Nyéki, E., Knoeller, K., Laaha, G., Sandén, H., & Stumpp, C. (2025). Recharge and redox processes drive urban groundwater quality in Vienna’s shallow aquifers. Journal of Hydrology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133931
Our research newsletter ‘ECHO’ provides you with the latest and most exciting information from the fields of environmental and climate research.
