Felix Kienast

Felix Kienast is a retired Adjunct Professor for Landscape Ecology at ETH Zurich, where he served from 2007 to 2023, and a visiting scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). He earned his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Zurich and pioneered landscape modeling research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the 1980s. Since 1988, his research at WSL has focused on GIS-assisted landscape models, human-landscape interactions, and multidisciplinary landscape monitoring. His distinguished career includes serving as President of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (2011-2015) and holding editorial positions for several prestigious journals including Landscape Ecology and Environmental Management. Kienast has published over 140 papers in landscape ecology and edited "A Changing World - Challenges for Landscape Research" in the Springer Landscape Series. His work has significantly advanced the field of landscape ecology through the development of innovative modeling approaches and the integration of social and ecological perspectives in landscape research. At ETH Zurich, he has been instrumental in developing e-learning initiatives and teaching courses such as "Forests and Landscapes," combining theoretical knowledge with practical applications in landscape management.