Prof. Dr. Julie Zähringer is an integrative environmental scientist with a PhD in geography and sustainable development. She has a strong interest in socio-ecological systems research in least-developed countries. Her recent research has focused on the interlinkages between land use changes, ecosystem services, and human well-being in the context of land investments and conservation in East Africa and South-East Asia. She is especially curious to understand what ecosystem service benefits can be obtained by land users from different types of usage, and how the link between ecosystem services and human wellbeing has changed over time. She has investigated how land investments affect land use, and the implications of land use changes for poverty alleviation and sustainable development.