Dr. Christian Klassert
Co-Speaker of the Working Group Social-Science Water Research
Helmholtz Centre for EnvironmentalResearch - UFZ
Department of Economics
Permoserstr. 15
04318 Leipzig
Germany
Tel: +49 341 235 1743
Fax: +49 341 235 47 1743
christian.klassert@ufz.de

Christian Klassert is the co-speaker of the Working Group Social-Science Water Research. His work combines coupled human-natural systems modeling, agent-based modeling, and econometrics to assess the water security impacts of unequal urban water access and agricultural droughts. Christian contributes to the development of large-scale models of water security in Jordan (Jordan Water Project), food-water-energy nexus sustainability in the Indian Upper Bhima Basin (FUSE Project), and agricultural drought adaptation in Germany (UFZ Graduate Schools AGRI-TRANSFORM and Thirsty Cities). Christian is a co-recipient of the UFZ Research award 2022 for his transdisciplinary work assessing the risk of future water crises in the country of Jordan.
Curriculum Vitae
Professional appointments
10/2022 −
03/2023
Since
09/2021
02/2017 –
08/2021
02/2014 –
01/2017
03/2011 –
01/2014
Visiting Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Earth System Science (Prof. Dr. Steven Gorelick), Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University
Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Economics, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany (topic: coupled human-natural systems modeling of water security and droughts)
Researcher, Department of Economics, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
Researcher, Chair of Economics, especially Institutional Environmental Economics (Prof. Dr. Gawel), Leipzig University
Research Assistant, Department of Bioenergy, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
Academic degrees
2021
2009
2008
PhD in Economics, Leipzig University, thesis: "The Value of Decentralized Private Water Service Provision in Intermittent Water Supply Systems: Coupled Hydro-Economic System Analyses of Formal and Informal Water Markets in Jordan" (grade: summa cum laude, 1.0)
European Master in Law and Economics and LL.M., jointly awarded by the Universities of Hamburg, Germany, Ghent, Belgium, and Haifa, Israel (“with great distinction”)
German academic law degree (Erstes Staatsexamen), Mainz University, Germany (ranked 2nd best in state-wide examination)
Projects
UFZ Graduate School AGRI-TRANSFORM – Leverage Points for the Transformation to an Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture
UFZ Graduate School Thirsty Cities – Pathways for Water-Resilient Urban Transformation and Agricultural Adaptation
Future Earth project NexusFootprints – Combining Indicators for Urban Food-Water-Energy Nexus Comparison
Belmont Forum project FUSE – Food-water-energy for Urban Sustainable Environments
BMUB project JordanCap – Jordan Water Project Capacity Building: Development and Implementation of a Strategic Modeling Tool for Water Management in Jordan
Belmont Forum project Jordan Water Project – Integrated Analysis of Freshwater Resources Sustainability in Jordan
Helmholtz IVF project Drivers of Bioenergy Production and Transregional Effects
EU FP7 project POLICYMix – Assessing the role of economic instruments in policy mixes for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services provision
Recent publications
Full list of publications available at: Google Scholar profile
Selected publications:
Klassert, C., Yoon, J., Sigel, K., Klauer, B., Talozi, S., Lachaut, T., Selby, P., Knox, S., Avisse, N., Tilmant, A., Harou, J.J., Mustafa, D., Meddelin-Azuara, J., Bataineh, B., Zhang, H., Gawel, E., Gorelick, S.M. (2023) Unexpected growth of an illegal water market. Nature Sustainability. DOI: 10.1038/s41893-023-01177-7
Yoon, J., Klassert, C., Selby, P., Lachaut, T., Knox, S., Avisse, N., Harou, J., Tilmant, A., Klauer, B., Mustafa, D., Sigel, K., Talozi, S., Gawel, E., Meddelin-Azuara, J., Bataineh, B., Zhang, H., & Gorelick, S.M. (2021). Coupled human-natural system analysis of freshwater security under climate and population change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 118(14): e2020431118. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2020431118
Yoon, J., Romero‐Lankao, P., Yang, Y. E., Klassert, C., et al. (2022). A typology for characterizing human action in multisector dynamics models. Earth's Future, 10(8). DOI: 10.1029/2021EF002641
In review:
Yoon, J., Voisin, N., Klassert, C., et al. (in review). Farmer cropping adaptation alleviates simulated water shortage in the United States. Pre-print DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2782824/v1
Other recent publications: (2021 − now)
Kuhlicke, C., de Brito, M. M., Bartkowski, B., Botzen, W., Doğulu, C., Han, S., ... Klassert, C., ... & Rufat, S. (2023). Spinning in circles? A systematic review on the role of theory in social vulnerability, resilience and adaptation research. Global Environmental Change, 80, 102672. DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2023.102672
Lachaut, T., Yoon, J., Klassert, C., & Tilmant, A. (2022). Aggregation in bottom-up vulnerability assessments and equity implications: The case of Jordanian households’ water supply. Advances in Water Resources, 169, 104311. DOI: 10.1016/j.advwatres.2022.104311
Zozmann, H., Morgan, A., Klassert, C., Klauer, B., & Gawel, E. (2022). Can Tanker Water Services Contribute to Sustainable Access to Water? A Systematic Review of Case Studies in Urban Areas. Sustainability, 14(17), 11029. DOI: 10.3390/su141711029
Klauer, B., Küblböck, K., Omann, I., Karutz, R., Klassert, C., Zhu, Y., ... & Gorelick, S. (2022). Stakeholder Workshops Informing System Modeling—Analyzing the Urban Food–Water–Energy Nexus in Amman, Jordan. Sustainability, 14(19), 11984. DOI: 10.3390/su141911984
Zozmann, H., Klassert, C., Klauer, B., & Gawel, E. (2022). Water procurement time and its implications for household water demand—Insights from a water diary study in five informal settlements of Pune, India. Water, 14(7), 1009. DOI: 10.3390/w14071009
Karutz, R., Omann, I., Gorelick, S. M., Klassert, C., Zozmann, H., Zhu, Y., ... & Klauer, B. (2022). Capturing Stakeholders’ Challenges of the Food–Water–Energy Nexus—A Participatory Approach for Pune and the Bhima Basin, India. Sustainability, 14(9), 5323. DOI: 10.3390/su14095323
Zozmann, H., Klassert, C., Klauer, B., & Gawel, E. (2022). Heterogeneity, household co-production, and risks of water services—Water demand of private households with multiple water sources. Water Economics and Policy, 8(01), 2250006. DOI: 10.1142/S2382624X22500060
For further publications, please see my Google Scholar profile