Environment and Climate Research Hub

Our Research

Interdisciplinary research at the ECH explores the complex dynamics of environmental change – bridging humanities, natural and social sciences to generate impactful knowledge.

Overview | Focus Areas | Projects | Recent Publications

Shaping Tomorrow: The Impact of Today’s Research

We are motivated to deliver scientific research that contributes to the protection of our climate and environment. We work jointly in excellent cross-disciplinary teams beyond the border of each discipline on research ideas and collaborations.

At the University of Vienna, one of the biggest and most renowned in Europe, we want to advance environmental research for society. We use the strength of networking excellent expertise of individual disciplines in our research hub.

We focus on training, education and excellent qualification of our members. We constantly develop our knowledge and competencies further to develop innovative concepts and approaches for solutions in the areas of environment and climate.

We want to shape society – as an education institution, a hub and a partner for dialogue. For this reason, we educate students and early career scientists and enter active dialogues with civil society and decision-makers in government and society.

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Projects

Research projects are hosted at the specific Faculty of ECH members. The selection here reflects the diverse range of research excellence at the University of Vienna in the field of environment, climate change and sustainability. We list projects led by ECH members as a PI, or those in which they are part of a larger consortium such as in Horizon Europe projects.

NEREIDES: Neutrally Buoyant Particles in the Deep Sea: Turnover, Origin and Global Impact on the Marine Carbon Cycle

Biodiversity and Ecosystems
Epifluorescence image of a bathypelagic neutrally buoyant detrital particle from 3390 m depth

Gerhard Herndl of the Department of Evolutionary Biology is leading the Project NEREIDES.

Export of organic matter produced in the sunlit surface waters into the ocean’s interior removes about one third of the anthropogenically produced carbon dioxide. The amount of organic matter sinking into the deep ocean, however, is not sufficient to support the carbon demand of the heterotrophic food web in…

Recent Publications

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

García-Rodríguez, A., Lenzner, B., Velasco, J. A., Schertler, A., Omer, A., Seebens, H., Capinha, C., Gallardo, B., Dullinger, S., & Essl, F. (2025). The global distribution patterns of alien vertebrate richness in mountains. Nature Communications, 16(1), Article 1977. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57214-w

Leite, F. A. S., Howard, E. L., Pinheiro, C., Parola, A. J., Maggini, L., & Laia, C. (2025). Screen printing and in situ electropolymerization as a simple manufacturing method to produce long cycling lifetime electrochromic indicators. Flexible and Printed Electronics, 10(3), Article 035002. https://doi.org/10.1088/2058-8585/adea87

Gehrig, T., & Dietrich, D. (2025). Talk and The City: How Far to Trust Bankers (Not) Calling for Bailouts? Centre for Economic Policy Research CEPR.

Horn, C., & Felt, U. (2025). Collateral transitions. Reassembling societies, data centres and the twin transition. Environmental Science and Policy, 170, Article 104122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104122

Wichmann, N., Meibom, J., Kohn, T., & Zumstein, M. (2025). Conserved specificity of extracellular wastewater peptidases revealed by multiplex substrate profiling by mass spectrometry. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 23(4), 953-959. Article 100210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-025-01834-7

Ndlela, T., Beckedahl, H., Grundling, P. L., Glatzel, S., & Butler, M. (2025). Ecohydrological differences in peatlands under contrasting land use management systems in Eswatini. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 33(4), Article 50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-025-10065-0

Henkel, C., Hüffer, T., Maletić, S., & Hofmann, T. (2025). Micro- and nanoplastics as transport vectors for organic contaminants in the environment: A critical review. Current Opinion in Colloid and Interface Science, 78(101934). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101934

Berner, R., Neumann, M., Müller, M., Hollaus, M., Maier, A., Zechmeister, T., & Glatzel, S. (2025). Prescribed burning as a potential regeneration technique for reed stands: a pilot study in the reed belt of Lake Neusiedl, Austria. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 33(4), Article 52. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-025-10063-2

Hörner, J., & Voigt, A. (2025). Making Sense of Bifurcation Diagrams: A New Framework to Understand the Roles of Clouds and Bare Sea Ice for Waterbelt States. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 130(14), Article e2025JD043568. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JD043568

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