Dr. Gunnar Dreßler
Contact
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
Department of Ecological Modelling
Permoserstr. 15
04318 Leipzig
Germany
Tel.: +49 341 235-1707
Fax: +49 341 235-451707
gunnar.dressler@ufz.de
Research Interests
I strive to understand the dynamics of complex social-ecological systems under global change using dynamic modelling approaches. In particular, I focus on:- Uncovering regime shifts and tipping point dynamics in social-ecological systems
- Analyzing the impact of policy instruments and new technologies on local land-use strategies (e.g. pasture use in drylands)
- Emergence of polarization and poverty traps
- Better representing human decision-making in agent-based models
- Developing model upscaling methods
- Improving the usefulness of models to support policy and management
Current Projects
NamTip - Understanding and Managing Desertification Tipping Points in Dryland Social-Ecological Systems – A Namibian Perspective (03/2019-02/2023).
BESTMAP - Behavioural, Ecological and Socio-economic Tools for Modelling Agricultural Policy (09/2019-08/2023).
Past Projects
PostDoc in the Junior Research Group POLISES - Global food security policies and their social-ecological side effects in regions prone to global change (08/2014-10/2019).
PhD Thesis "Analyzing resource use decisions under global change by agent-based modeling." as part of the projects "emBRACE" and "POLISES".
Defended at University of Osnabrück, Institute of Environmental Systems Research on April 04, 2017.
Defended at University of Osnabrück, Institute of Environmental Systems Research on April 04, 2017.
EU project emBRACE - Building Resilience Amongst Communities in Europe. (until Sep. 2015)
Curriculum Vitae
| since 03/2019 | Postdoctoral researcher, BMBF-funded research project NamTip - Understanding and Managing Desertification Tipping Points in Dryland Social-Ecological Systems – A Namibian Perspective |
| 04/2018 - 08/2018 | Research stay at Stockholm Resilience Center. |
| 04/2017 - 02/2019 | Postdoctoral researcher, Junior Research Group POLISES Global food security policies and their social-ecological side effects in regions prone to global change |
| 02/2012 - 04/2017 | PhD student at the Department of Ecological Modeling, Junior Research Group POLISES & EU research project emBRACE |
| 10/2006 - 11/2011 | Diploma in Biomathematics, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University of Greifswald Thesis: Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Global Vegetation Patterns from Remotely Sensed Images in cooperation with Dr. Thomas Mueller, University of Maryland. |
| 02/2011 - 04/2011 | MSc researcher, University of Maryland, Bill Fagan Lab, Development and application of methods to quantify spatial and temporal vegetation dynamics from remote sensing images. |
| 2011 | Scholarship recipient of the UMD-SI Seed Grant: "How vegetation dynamics drive ungulate movements: Transforming single species studies to global comparisons". |
| 08/2010 - 09/2010 | Student assistant at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Ecological Modelling, Development of an agent-based model to analyze the influence of mobility on the sustainability of a pastoral-nomadic system. |
| 08/2009 - 10/2009 | Internship student, University of Maryland, Bill Fagan Lab, Development of methods to compare resource dynamics in different ecosystems. |
Publications
2022 (2)
- Dressler, G., Groeneveld, J., Hetzer, J., Janischewski, A., Nolzen, H., Rödig, E., Schwarz, N., Taubert, F., Thober, J., Will, M., Williams, T., Wirth, S.B., Müller, B. (2022):
Upscaling in socio-environmental systems modelling: Current challenges, promising strategies and insights from ecology
Socio-Environmental Systems Modelling 4 , art. 18112
full text (doi) - Will, M., Backes, A., Campenni, M., Cronk, L., Dressler, G., Gornott, C., Groeneveld, J., Habtemariam, L.T., Kraehnert, K., Kraus, M., Lenel, F., Osgood, D., Taye, M., Müller, B. (2022):
Improving the design of climate insurance: combining empirical approaches and modelling
Clim. Dev. 14 (9), 804 - 813
full text (doi)
2021 (3)
- Care, O., Bernstein, M.J., Chapman, M., Diaz Reviriego, I., Dressler, G., Felipe-Lucia, M.R., Friis, C., Graham, S., Hänke, H., Haider, L.J., Hernández-Morcillo, M., Hoffmann, H., Kernecker, M., Nicol, P., Piñeiro, C., Pitt, H., Schill, C., Seufert, V., Shu, K., Valencia, V., Zaehringer, J.G. (2021):
Creating leadership collectives for sustainability transformations
Sustain. Sci. 16 (2), 703 - 708
full text (doi) - Will, M., Dressler, G., Kreuer, D., Thulke, H.-H., Grêt‐Regamey, A., Müller, B. (2021):
How to make socio‐environmental modelling more useful to support policy and management?
People Nat. 3 (3), 560 - 572
full text (doi) - Williams, T.G., Dressler, G., Stratton, A.E., Müller, B. (2021):
Ecological and financial strategies provide complementary benefits for smallholder climate resilience: insights from a simulation model
Ecol. Soc. 26 (2), art. 14
full text (doi)
2020 (2)
- Schwarz, N., Dressler, G., Frank, K., Jager, W., Janssen, M., Müller, B., Schlüter, M., Wijermans, N., Groeneveld, J. (2020):
Formalising theories of human decision-making for agent-based modelling of social-ecological systems: practical lessons learned and ways forward
Socio-Environmental Systems Modelling 2 , art. 16340
full text (doi) - Ziv, G., Beckmann, M., Bullock, J., Cord, A., Delzeit, R., Domingo, C., Dreßler, G., Hagemann, N., Masó, J., Müller, B., Neteler, M., Sapundzhieva, A., Stoev, P., Stenning, J., Trajković, M., Václavík, T. (2020):
BESTMAP: behavioural, Ecological and Socio-economic Tools for Modelling Agricultural Policy
Research Ideas and Outcomes 6 , e52052
full text (doi)
2019 (2)
- Dressler, G., Groeneveld, J., Buchmann, C.M., Guo, C., Hase, N., Thober, J., Frank, K., Müller, B. (2019):
Implications of behavioral change for the resilience of pastoral systems—Lessons from an agent-based model
Ecol. Complex. 40, Part B , art. 100710
full text (doi) - Dressler, G., Hoffmann, F., Breuer, I., Kreuer, D., Mahdi, M., Frank, K., Müller, B. (2019):
Polarization in (post)nomadic resource use in Eastern Morocco: insights using a multi-agent simulation model
Reg. Envir. Chang. 19 (2), 489 - 500
full text (doi)
2017 (3)
- Dreßler, G. (2017):
Analyzing resource use decisions under global change by agent-based modeling
Dissertation, Universität Osnabrück
PhD Dissertation 2/2017
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung - UFZ, Leipzig, 126 pp. - Groeneveld, J., Müller, B., Buchmann, C.M., Dressler, G., Guo, C., Hase, N., Hoffmann, F., John, F., Klassert, C., Lauf, T., Liebelt, V., Nolzen, H., Pannicke, N., Schulze, J., Weise, H., Schwarz, N. (2017):
Theoretical foundations of human decision-making in agent-based land use models – A review
Environ. Modell. Softw. 87 , 39 - 48
full text (doi) - Schlüter, M., Baeza, A., Dressler, G., Frank, K., Groeneveld, J., Jager, W., Janssen, M.A., McAllister, R.R.J., Müller, B., Orach, K., Schwarz, N., Wijermans, N. (2017):
A framework for mapping and comparing behavioural theories in models of social-ecological systems
Ecol. Econ. 131 , 21 - 35
full text (doi)
2016 (1)
- Dressler, G., Müller, B., Frank, K., Kuhlicke, C. (2016):
Towards thresholds of disaster management performance under demographic change: exploring functional relationships using agent-based modeling
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. 16 (10), 2287 - 2301
full text (doi)
2014 (2)
- Mueller, T., Dressler, G., Tucker, C.J., Pinzon, J.E., Leimgruber, P., Dubayah, R.O., Hurtt, G.C., Böhning-Gaese, K., Fagan, W.F. (2014):
Human land-use practices lead to global long-term increases in photosynthetic capacity
Remote Sens. 6 (6), 5717 - 5731
full text (doi) - Müller, B., Balbi, S., Buchmann, C.M., de Sousa, L., Dressler, G., Groeneveld, J., Klassert, C.J., Le, Q.B., Millington, J.D.A., Nolzen, H., Parker, D.C., Polhill, J.G., Schlüter, M., Schulze, J., Schwarz, N., Sun, Z., Taillandier, P., Weise, H. (2014):
Standardised and transparent model descriptions for agent-based models: current status and prospects
Environ. Modell. Softw. 55 , 156 - 163
full text (doi)
2013 (1)
- Müller, B., Bohn, F., Dreßler, G., Groeneveld, J., Klassert, C., Martin, R., Schlüter, M., Schulze, J., Weise, H., Schwarz, N. (2013):
Describing human decisions in agent-based models - ODD+D, an extension of the ODD protocol
Environ. Modell. Softw. 48 , 37 - 48
full text (doi)
2012 (2)
- Dressler, G., Müller, B., Frank, K. (2012):
Mobility – a panacea for pastoralism? An ecological-economic modelling approach
In: Seppelt, R., Voinov, A.A., Lange, S., Bankamp, D. (eds.)
Managing resources of a limited planet: pathways and visions under uncertainty. Proceedings of the sixth biannial meeting of the International Environmental Modelling and Software Society, Leipzig, Germany, July 1-5, 2012
p. 2083 - 2090
full text (url) - Groeneveld, J., Müller, B., Angermüller, F., Drees, R., Dreßler, G., Klassert, C., Schulze, J., Weise, H., Schwarz, N. (2012):
Good modelling practice: expanding the ODD model description protocol for socioenvironmental agent based models
In: Seppelt, R., Voinov, A.A., Lange, S., Bankamp, D. (eds.)
Managing resources of a limited planet: pathways and visions under uncertainty. Proceedings of the sixth biannial meeting of the International Environmental Modelling and Software Society, Leipzig, Germany, July 1-5, 2012
p. 2480 - 2484
full text (url)