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Lars Wirkus

Lars Wirkus

Senior Management \ Head of Research Infrastructure and Data

contact by phone

+49 228 911 96-63

contact by mobile

+49 (0)151 42017131

contact by e-mail

lars.wirkus(at)bicc.de

Expertise

Research Profile

As Head of Research Infrastructure and Data, Lars is responsible for setting up and maintaining an enabling research environment at BICC which includes the development of data policies and research data management structures.

Being a passionate geographer, Lars believes in the power of maps and the visualisation of data and research findings. Together with his colleagues, Lars is implementing various interactive database and WebGIS based knowledge-sharing information applications on topics such as arms exports, small arms control, global militarisation, war & peace and forced migration.

His own research interest is on climate change and violent conflict and natural resources management. In his research, he uses remote sensing and GIS and is very much interested to use new forms of data such call detail records and social media data. Other topics he is very interested in are data ethics as well as the implications and risks of digitisation.

Research Topics / Key Expertise

Research data management

Data ethics and data privacy

Data visualisation 

Climate change and conflict

Natural resources management

Geographic information and Earth observation

Professional Career

Lars took on the role of Head of Research Infrastructure and Data at bicc in 2021 after he headed the data and geomatics staff unit for ten years from 2011 to 2020. After obtaining his degree as geographer for the University in Bonn, he began his professional career at bicc with studies on base conversion in the year 2000. Then, his research extensively focused for many years on natural resources and violent conflicts, institutional aspects of water resources management, the micro level analysis of water resources-related conflicts and until today on climate change and conflict. Between 2007 and early 2011, Lars worked on a part-time basis as Senior Researcher with bicc and as a Research Associate with the United Nations University–Institute for Environment and Human Security.

Back on a full time position as senior researcher at bicc in 2011 Lars’ focus has been on developing and implementing various interactive databases- and WebGIS-based knowledge-sharing information applications on topics such as arms exports, small arms control, physical security and stockpile management, global militarisation, war & peace and refugee research.

In the course of this, he became increasingly interested in the management of research data, data ethics and data privacy, which paved the way for his current position. As a member of the Institute's senior management team, Lars, in his function as Head of Research Infrastructure and Data, is responsible for research data management, information and communication technology (ICT) as well as the development of bicc's web and information services.

When he’s not working, Lars is either attending rock concerts as often as possible, reading fantasy novels or spends a lot of time with his wife, his two daughters and his dog.

Important Publications

Sterly, H., & Etzold, B., & Wirkus, L., & Sakdapolrak, P., & Schleussner, C., & Hennig, B.

Assessing refugees’ onward mobility with mobile phone data—A case study of (Syrian) refugees in Turkey

Springer , Cham (2019)

Open

Mager, A., & Wirkus, L., & Schoepfer, E.

Impact assessment of oil exploitation in South Sudan using multi-temporal landsat imagery

(2016)

Open

Tomaszewski, B., & Judex, M., & Szarzynski, J., & Radestock, C., & Wirkus, L.

Geographic information systems for disaster response: A review

De Gruyter (2015)

Open

Wirkus, L.

An open source WebGIS application for civic education on peace and conflict

(2015)

Open

Renaud, F., & Wirkus, L.

Water, climate change and human security: Conflict and migration

UNU-INWEH , Hamilton (2012)

Open

Kramm, J., & Lecoutere, E., & Wirkus, L.

Water and conflict prevention (Microcon Policy Briefing 16).

Microcon , Brighton (2012)

Open

Transboundary water governance in Southern Africa

Nomos , Baden-Baden (2009)

Open

Monitoring environment and security: Integrating concepts and enhancing methodologies

BICC , Bonn (2008)

Open

Publications

Navarro, R., & Wirkus, L., & Dubovyk, O.

Spatio-Temporal Assessment of Olive Orchard Intensification in the Saïss Plain (Morocco) Using k-Means and High-Resolution Satellite Data

(2023)

Open

Kemmerling, B., & Schetter, C., & Wirkus, L.

Addressing Food Crises in Violent Conflicts

Springer , Cham (2023)

Open

Sterly, H., & Wirkus, L.

Analysing Refugees' Secondary Mobility Using Mobile Phone Call Data Records

Oxford University Press , London (2022)

Open

Kemmerling, B., & Schetter, C., & Wirkus, L.

The logics of war and food (in)security

(2022)

Open

Heinemann-Grüder, A., & Polianskii, M., & Rogova, V., & Schetter, C., & Wirkus, L.

Bewaffnete Konflikte: Krieg in Osteuropa

transcript , Bielefeld (2021)

Open

Kemmerling, B., & Schetter, C., & Wirkus, L.

Addressing food crises in violent conflicts (Food System Summit Brief April 2021).

Scientific Group for the Food Systems Summit , Bonn (2021)

Open

Daase, C., & Hofmann, G., & Dembinski, M., & Gromes, T., & Wirkus, L.

Bewaffnete Konflikte: Friedensmissionen müssen neu austariert werden

transcript , Bielefeld (2020)

Open

Benner, A., & Brzoska, M., & Kohler, C., & Kroll, S., & Rothe, D., & Scheffran, J., & Schetter, C., & Schröder, U., & Wirkus, L.

Friedenspolitik in Zeiten des Klimawandels

transcript , Bielefeld (2020)

Open

Swatuk, L., & Thomas, B., & Wirkus, L., & Krampe, F., & Batista da Silva, L.

The ‘boomerang effect’: Insights for improved climate action

(2020)

Open

Wirkus, L., & Piereder, J.

Early warning systems for drought and violent conflict – toward potential cross-pollination

Elsevier , Amsterdam (2019)

Open

Sterly, H., & Etzold, B., & Wirkus, L., & Sakdapolrak, P., & Schleussner, C., & Hennig, B.

Assessing refugees’ onward mobility with mobile phone data—A case study of (Syrian) refugees in Turkey

Springer , Cham (2019)

Open

Bethke, F., & Meininghaus, E., & Mielke, K., & Mutschler, M., & Schetter, C., & Wirkus, L.

Bewaffnete Konflikte: Stabilisierung darf keine Interessenpolitik sein

LIT , Berlin (2019)

Open

Kleist, J., & Engler, M., & Etzold, B., & Mielke, K., & Oltmer, J., & Pott, A., & Schetter, C., & Wirkus, L.

Abschlussbericht – Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung in Deutschland: Eine Bestandsaufnahme.

IMIS/BICC , Osnabrück (2019)

Open

Sterly, H., & Etzold, B., & Wirkus, L., & Sakdapolrak, P., & Schewe, J., & Schleussner, C., & Henning, B.

AROMA_CoDa: Assessing refugees’ onward mobility through the analysis of communication data. In Proceedings of the data for refugee challenge workshop (pp. 70-82).

Boğaziçi University , Istanbul (2019)

Open

Swatuk, L., & Wirkus, L., & Krampe, F., & Thomas, B., & Batista da Silva, L.

The boomerang effect: overview and implications for climate governance

Routledge , New York (2018)

Open

Shah, N., & Wirkus, L., & Swatuk, L.

Can climate change challenges unite a divided Jordan River basin?

Routledge , New York (2018)

Open

von Boemcken, M., & Meininghaus, E., & Mielke, K., & Schetter, C., & Schlüsing, C., & Trancart, C., & Wirkus, L.

Bewaffnete Konflikte: Deutsche Stabilisierungspolitik auf dem Prüfstand

LIT , Berlin (2018)

Open

Mager, A., & Wirkus, L., & Schoepfer, E.

Impact assessment of oil exploitation in South Sudan using multi-temporal landsat imagery

(2016)

Open

Tomaszewski, B., & Judex, M., & Szarzynski, J., & Radestock, C., & Wirkus, L.

Geographic information systems for disaster response: A review

De Gruyter (2015)

Open

Wirkus, L.

An open source WebGIS application for civic education on peace and conflict

(2015)

Open

Wirkus, L.

Auf zu neuen Nutzungen! Die Konversion militärischer Liegenschaften als Chance für die Kommunen

(2012)

Open

Wirkus, L.

Auf zu neuen Nutzungen! Die Konversion militärischer Liegenschaften als Chance für die Kommunen. Zivilarena. http://portal.zivilarena.de/index.php/magazine/article/view/12.

(2012)

Open

Wirkus, L.

Ländlicher Raum kommt schlecht weg. Städte- und Gemeinderat (7-8 2012), 6-8.

(2012)

Open

Renaud, F., & Wirkus, L.

Water, climate change and human security: Conflict and migration

UNU-INWEH , Hamilton (2012)

Open

Kramm, J., & Lecoutere, E., & Wirkus, L.

Water and conflict prevention (Microcon Policy Briefing 16).

Microcon , Brighton (2012)

Open

Wirkus, L.

Liegenschaftskonversion reloaded. Friedens Forum: Zeitschrift der Friedensbewegung 4(2011), 48-50.

(2011)

Open

Kramm, J., & Wirkus, L.

Local water governance: Negotiating water access and resolving resource conflicts in Tanzanian irrigation schemes (MICROCON Research Working Paper 33).

MICROCON , Brighton (2010)

Open

Wirkus, L.

Climate change, hydro-conflicts and human security – Initial policy reflections from the CLICO project.

(2010)

Open

Wirkus, L.

Evidence of the impacts of climate change on human security in Africa, with reference to migration and water-related conflict.

(2009)

Open

Vollmer, R., & Ardakanian, R., & Hare, M., & Leentvaar, J., & van der Schaaf, C., & Wirkus, L.

Institutional capacity development in transboundary water management.

(2009)

Open

Swatuk, L., & Wirkus, L.

Transboundary water governance in Southern Africa: An indroduction

Nomos , Baden-Baden (2009)

Open

Swatuk, L., & Wirkus, L.

Transboundary water governance in Southern Africa: Beyond the state

Nomos , Baden-Baden (2009)

Open

Wirkus, L.

Water, development and cooperation — Comparative perspective: Euphrates-Tigris and Southern Africa

BICC , Bonn (2006)

Open