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Jelena Große-Bley successfully defended her PhD thesis, Unfamiliar Uncertainties: How experts grapple with socio-material relations to adapt to climate change in China’s agriculture.
Jelena’s dissertation shows that in times of climate change, unfamiliar uncertainties started to enter ways in which different ecologies of expertise were grappling with relating to sky. Four empirical chapters spanning a period between 1950s to 2020s show how climate change came to matter in national policy-making, national climate maps and climatic resources management, rural meteorological services and agricultural practices, and weather modification and debates about climate engineering.
Jelena completed her doctorate at IfEE under the supervision of Jörg Niewöhner. The defense took place on 22 July 2026, and the final degree is Summa cum laude.
Congratulations to Jelena for her outstanding achievement!
