Energy law expert Judith Schäfer-Gendrisch was appointed Managing Director of the Institute for Climate Protection, Energy and Mobility (IKEM) in mid-February 2024. Together with the second Managing Director Susan Wilms and the IKEM Board she is now leading the operative and strategic development of the institute.
Judith Schäfer-Gendrisch is a lawyer and has been working at IKEM since 2018. As head of the energy law department, she specialized in legal aspects of the production, transport and use of renewable fuels in shipping as well as construction law issues relating to renewable energy plants.
“IKEM is committed to forward-thinking interdisciplinary research on the energy transition and climate change mitigation, leading to well-founded recommendations for policy measures that drive the necessary transformation towards a sustainable future. Together with the IKEM staff and our partners, I will continue to pursue this mission and aim to further strengthen our position as one of the leading research institutions for energy transition and climate law,” says Schäfer-Gendrisch.
IKEM Director Prof. Dr. Michael Rodi is looking forward to working with the new Managing Director: “Judith Schäfer-Gendrisch is a great addition to IKEM’s management team. In her previous positions, she acquired extensive expertise in energy law and made a significant contribution to IKEM’s success by initiating pioneering projects – many of which are centred on Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Baltic Sea region. With her support, we will strengthen IKEM’s presence in the region and further expand our international partnerships.”
The new IKEM management team
Judith Schäfer-Gendrisch is an expert in energy law with a focus on renewable fuels for shipping and the expansion of renewable energies.
She studied law at the University of Konstanz and the Universidad de Valencia. After completing her legal clerkship, she initially worked as a research associate at a law firm and, starting from 2018, at IKEM. Here she was head of the energy law department for several years and worked as a project manager in the BMBF-funded WIR!-Campfire project and the TransHyDE hydrogen lead project, among others.
Susan Wilms, LL.M. is an expert in energy and climate law with a focus on sector coupling and power-to-x technologies.
After studying law at the Universities of Hamburg, Bonn, and Galway (Ireland), she initially worked as a legal advisor for a non-profit foundation and since 2016 in various positions, including head of the energy law department, at IKEM. She has been the Managing Director of IKEM since 2021.
