Student Activities

GCE Alumni (5): PhD at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

The master´s programme “Global Change Ecology” (GCE) started in 2006. Since that time, some GCE students have already completed their Master´s degree.
We are interested to know what has been happening in the lives of our former GCE students. A few GCE alumni told us about GCE and how their careers have continued after they had finished the master´s programme.
The fifth one in our series is Patrick von Jeetze, who was born in Germany and started to study GCE in 2016
:

Why did you decide to study GCE?
Because of its interdisciplinary setting and the option to study the social and natural sciences dimensions of socio-ecological systems. 

What did you like most about GCE?
The liberty of choosing most of the curriculum, including Science Schools, freely and according to my interests. GCE also provided an array of opportunities to partake in high-level meetings such as IPBES and the UNFCCC COP. Since GCE is embedded in the Elite Network of Bavaria, this provides further chances for networking and exchange with peers from various backgrounds. 

How has your career continued after GCE?
I am pursuing a PhD at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)

What is your current position? What are your tasks?
Currently, I am employed as a research assistant and PhD student in the Land Use Modelling Group at PIK. I use a global land system model to study human-nature relations in agricultural landscapes at the global scale. My focus is on programming and data analysis.

How has GCE supported your career?
It supported me, because during my study I was often able to freely choose the subjects I was most interested in.

What do you recommend to the current GCE students?
Try not to feel overwhelmed by the many choices and options that GCE provides. Try not to rush things and let the game come to you. Give yourself time to find something that you really want to change or know more about! Also, don’t get caught up with talking too much trash about the shitty weather in Bayreuth. Remember, it’s only the current state of the atmosphere and will only last for days or weeks. The climate, however, is shaped by you! Enjoy the time with your peers and make Bayreuth a beautiful memory!

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