Research Institute for
Sustainability | at GFZ

Franziska Stölzel

Franziska Stölzel

Research Associate

E-Mail

franziska [dot] stoelzel [at] rifs-potsdam [dot] de

Since July 2025, Franziska Stölzel has been working at RIFS in Potsdam, focusing on citizen participation-especially that of children and young people-in Germany's lignite mining regions undergoing structural transformation. Previously, she worked at UNU-FLORES (United Nations University Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources) in Weißwasser, where she linked international and regional needs in the context of structural change. As part of the REBOOST project, Franziska worked as a researcher at the University of Graz, collaborating with colleagues from various European lignite regions to explore what a just transition for the involved stakeholders could look like.

  • 07/2025 - present: Research Associate for Transformation and Participation, RIFS Potsdam
  • 11/2021 - 07/2024: Research Associate in Structural Change, UNU-FLORES
  • 09/2020 - 10/2021: Research Associate in Structural Change, University of Graz

*Social change and transformation *Sustainability *Gender justice *Participation