Rate My Professor Harald Winkler

Harald Winkler is a Professor in PRISM, School of Economics at the University of Cape Town. He holds a PhD from the University of Cape Town (2006), an MSc in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley (1998), an MA in Religious Studies from the University of Cape Town (awarded with distinction, 1989), a BA Honours in Religious Studies from the University of Cape Town (first class, 1986), and a BA in Sociology and African Politics from the University of the Witwatersrand (distinction, 1985). His research interests are at the intersection of sustainable development and climate change mitigation, with a focus on equity, inequality, just transitions, low-emission development strategies, and the global stocktake under the Paris Agreement. Winkler previously served as Professor and Director of the Energy Research Centre at UCT and as Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment.

Winkler has been a coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report and a lead author for the Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports, contributing to work recognized by the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 as part of the IPCC. He was one of two co-facilitators of the technical dialogue of the first Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement (2021–2023) and a member of the South African delegation to UNFCCC negotiations. He is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa and a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences. Winkler has served as Joint Editor-in-Chief of the journal Climate Policy and on multiple editorial boards. He has over 100 peer-reviewed publications, an h-index of 32 on Scopus and 54 on Google Scholar, and has led major projects including South Africa’s Long-Term Mitigation Scenarios and the Mitigation Action Plans and Scenarios programme. His awards include NRF A1 rating, the NSTF Special Annual Theme Award for Sustainable Energy for All (2017/18), and recognition among the top 2% most-cited scientists globally.