Luana Schwarz (she/her)
Main Focus
I have a background in Cognitive Science, Environmental Systems Science and Resource Management, and work on understanding transformations to Regenerative Agriculture using a Social-Ecological Systems (SES) lens.
In the scope of my PhD project, I am part of a team conceptualizing and building InSEEDS, a novel kind of integrated Social-Ecological/World-Earth model consisting of an agent-based and a dynamic global vegetation model component. In addition to simulation modeling, I use qualitative empirical methods, theoretical and conceptual approaches.
Core Research Themes
Research
- Farmer decision-making process
- Understanding transformative change in food and land use systems
- Regenerative dynamics and paradigms
- Learning and transformative cognitive systems change in sustainability transformations
- Understanding diversity within transition processes
- Combining simulation modeling, qualitative empirical research, and conceptual work
- Case study work in Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Germany
Publications
In Review
Schwarz, L., Breier, J., Prawitz, H., Bechthold, M., von Bloh, W., Constantino, S. M., Gerten, D., Heitzig, J., Hotz, R., John, L., Müller, C., Rockström, J., and Donges, J. F.: From Farm to Planet: The InSEEDS World-Earth Model for Simulating Transitions to Regenerative Agriculture, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4079, 2025.
Published
Rimmert, M., Schwarz, L., Janssen, C., Amaro, A. A., & Donges, J. F. (2026). Accelerating the transition to regenerative agriculture: A participatory modeling framework for analyzing social tipping elements and their interactions in the food and land use system. GAIA-Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 35(3), 196-205.
Breier, J., Schwarz, L., Prawitz, H., von Bloh, W., Müller, C., Wirth, S. B., ... & Donges, J. F. (2026). copan: LPJmL: A new hybrid modelling framework for dynamic land use and agricultural management. Geoscientific Model Development, 19(14), 6829-6855.
Janssen, C., Gorris, P., Pahl-Wostl, C., & Schwarz, L. (2026). The social-ecological learning framework: perception, action, and learning in a changing world. Global Environmental Change, 98, 103159.
Prawitz, H., Schwarz, L., & Donges, J. F. (2026). Modelling social norms in social-ecological systems: A systematic literature review. Environmental Research Letters.
Schwarz, L., Janssen, C., & Halbe, J. (2025). Pineapple production and visions of regeneration–contrasting Costa Rican (agri) cultural paradigms. Revista Académica Arjé, 8(1), 1-32.
Bechthold, M., Barfuss, W., Butz, A., Breier, J., Constantino, S. M., Heitzig, J., .., Schwarz, L., ... & Donges, J. F. (2025). Social norms and groups structure safe operating spaces in renewable resource use in a social–ecological multi-layer network model. Earth System Dynamics, 16(4), 1365-1390.
Klein, A., Unverzagt, K., Alba, R., Donges, J. F., Hertz, T., Krueger, T., ..., Schwarz, L., ... & Wijermans, N. (2024). From situated knowledges to situated modelling: a relational framework for simulation modelling. Ecosystems and people, 20(1), 2361706.
Martin, M. A., Boakye, E. A., Boyd, E., Broadgate, W., Bustamante, M., Canadell, J. G., ..., Schwarz, L., ... & Zhao, Z. J. (2022). Ten new insights in climate science 2022. Global Sustainability, 5, e20.
Recent Presentations & Reports
Schwarz, L. (2026). Understanding Transformations to Regenerative Agriculture: Insights from Planetary Food Systems Modeling and Empirical Research. Invited talk at the Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn.
Schwarz, L. (2026). Kulturlandschaften und Landwirtschaftskultur – Landwirt:innen inmitten der sozial-ökologischen Transformation. Invited public talk in the "Nachhalltig" Lecture Series.
Schwarz, L. (2026). Cognitive & Social-Ecological Systems Transformations -- a Learning Perspective. Invited talk at "Psychological Perspectives on Social Tipping" Workshop, Amsterdam
Schwarz, L. & Donges, J.F. (2025). Why regenerative farming needs social change. Blogpost contributing to the Earth4All Initiative's outreach. https://earth4all.life/views/why-regenerative-farming-needs-social-change/
Grants & Awards
- 2024: Kapp-Prize for Ecological Economics, Association of Ecological Economics Germany, prize for excellent Master's / PhD Thesis
- 2021: Thinkathon "Humanity in a Changing Climate", 2500€ granted by Sievert Stiftung für Wissenschaft und Kultur
- 2021: Early Career Prize for best presentation at WE-Heraeus-Seminar on "Interacting Tipping Elements in the Natural and Social Components of the Earth System"
- 2021: Poster prize at "Cognition and Climate" online Summer School on "Challenges of Climate Change", hosted by the Institute of Cognitive Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
Networks, Memberships & Committees:
- Global Tipping Points Conference 2026 & 2027 Scientific Programme Committee
- German Association of Ecological Economics (VÖÖ) Kapp-Prize Jury
- Earth Resilience Sustainability Inititative (ERSI) organization team
- Global Land Programme (GLP)
- Society for Social-Ecological Systems (SocSES), Regenerative Social-Ecological Systems Working Group
Teaching & Supervision:
- Teaching Assistant for the "Earth System Science & Anthropocene" Lecture, led by Johan Rockström and Jonathan Donges, within the CLEWS Master's program, 2026
- Tutorial group supervisor for agent-based modeling project in the "Earth System Science & Anthropocene" Lecture 2025
- (Co-)supervision of three Master's theses, one Bachelor's thesis and four Interns
Curriculum Vitae
- 05/2024 - today: PhD Student at Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
- 02/2026 - 04/2026: Guest Researcher at Universidad Técnica Nacional, Alajuela, Costa Rica
- 11/2021 - 12/2023 & 05/2024 - today: Project researcher at Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany
- 10 / 2021 - 04 / 2024: Master's Program "Environmental Systems and Research Management" (with distinction), Specialization in Social-Ecological Systems, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany. Thesis "From idiosyncrasy to middle-range theory: synthesising knowledge from cross-cultural case studies on transitions to regenerative agriculture" (1.0, supervised by Prof. Dr. Claudia Pahl-Wostl & Prof. Dr. Andreas Focks)
- 10 / 2023 - 11 / 2023: Guest Researcher at Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm, Sweden
- 10 / 2020 - 10 / 2021: Guest Researcher at Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany
- 07 / 2019 - 12 / 2019: Exchange Semester at Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
- 10 / 2017 - 10 / 2021: Bachelor's Program "Cognitive Science", Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany. Thesis "Social Dynamics and Drivers in Decision-Making for Joint Environmental Action: Exploring the Impact of Environmental Movements" (1.0, supervised by Prof. Dr. Ilona Otto & Dr. Annette Hohenberger)