Hans Joachim Schellnhuber

Who is Hans Joachim Schellnhuber?

Hans Joachim "John" Schellnhuber is the founding Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Chair of the German Advisory Council on Global Change. Being one of the leading climate scientists worldwide, he provides advice to, for instance, the President of the European Union Commission, José Manuel Barroso. In 2007, he was appointed Chief Government Advisor on Climate and Related Issues during Germany's EU Council Presidency and G8 Presidency. Schellnhuber also offers scientific insights to business leaders, as he is member of the Climate Change Advisory Board of Deutsche Bank and chair of the governing board of the European Institute of Technology's Climate Knowledge and Innovation Communities.

He has qualifications in mathematics and physics—a Doctorate in Theoretical Physics from the University of Regensburg, which he completed in 1980, followed in 1985 by his habilitation in theoretical physics at the University of Oldenburg.