About

Research hub and community

Enhancing planetary health by discovering the interdependencies between human health, ecosystems, and the environment and investigating effective, sustainable interventions.

The Heidelberg Planetary Health Hub (Hei-Planet) is a dynamic research environment and community dedicated to addressing three fundamental and interlinked planetary challenges through a health-focused lens:

climate change
environmental degradation
pollution, and biodiversity loss

We position human health within the context of healthy ecosystems and environments. Our scientific inquiry and interdisciplinary research explore the mechanisms and connections between human health and the health of the Earth’s natural systems. Our goal is to measure and predict health impacts while identifying opportunities and solutions that support sustainable societal transitions.

The Hub aims to pioneer transformative interdisciplinary research at the intersection of climate change, health, society, ecology, environment, and technology. We seek to understand and tackle the complex, interconnected challenges that affect both human and planetary health.

Using innovative models and approaches, we integrate data from diverse fields and connect various scales through a combined micro and macro perspective.

We design field studies and develop evidence-based interventions that enhance societal resilience and promote a healthy planet amid the threats posed by the triple crisis.

By applying scientific methods, facilitating interdisciplinary data flow, and enabling analogical transfer from the early stages of research ideation through to implementation, we foster a multi-perspective approach to research questions.

Our themes

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Climate change and infectious diseases

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Climate change and heat-related ill-health

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Environmental degradation and zoonoses

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Nature-based solutions and health

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Environmental plastic pollution and indirect health outcomes

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Novel surveillance data streams and geospatial predictions

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Biodiversity and health

Our expertise

The Triple Planetary Health Crisis

Domain expertise on identifying pathways and quantifying impacts of climate change, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, nature-based solutions and health outcomes.

Evaluation of Interventions and Economics

Co-design and evaluation of interventions that go beyond healthcare and focus on healthy environments and ecosystem. Understanding and quantify economic outcomes of health impacts and interventions.

Modelling and Data Science

Vast modelling expertise including climate and remote-sensing data analyses, machine-learning, statistical modelling, process-based modelling, GIS, and modelling method development.

Citizen Science and Novel Data Streams

Societal approaches and technological solutions for citizen science development to generate novel data streams for the research.

Predictions and scenario-based modelling

Experience in applied modeling and predictions of health-related outcomes in relation to real-life multi-driver situations and projections of health risks within climate change scenarios.

Eco-Epidemiology and Field Study Design

Methods for field study design and integrated data collections for research across spatial and temporal scales.

Coordination team

Hei-Planet comprises over 30 interdisciplinary researchers at Heidelberg University who are connected to a larger international research community, collaborating on various research and outreach projects.

Joacim Rocklöv

Hei-Planet Hub Director & CSIDlab group leader

Joacim is the Director of the Heidelberg Planetary Health Hub and leads the CSIDlab research group.

He is an epidemiologist, modeler and data scientist conducting interdisciplinary research within the field of climate change and infectious diseases. He obtained his PhD from Umeå University, Sweden. In the year 2021 he was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship endowed by the The Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Germany. The chair at Heidelberg University focuses on applying data science and modelling to the area of One Health and climate change. It functions as a bridge between the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH) and the interdisciplinary Centre for Scientific Computing (IWR) at Heidelberg University. In 2018 Joacim was awarded the Albert II of Monaco and the Institute Pasteur Prize for research on environmental change and infectious diseases.

Prof. Rocklöv is the principal investigator and co-PI of several major research projects within the area of climate change and infectious diseases and pandemic preparedness. He is a Guest Professor at Umeå University in Sweden.

Hedi Kriit

Lancet Countdown Europe group leader

Marina Treskova

Eco-epidemiology junior group leader

Peter Fransson

Post-doctoral researcher

Stella Dafka

Post-doctoral researcher