Dennis Wilke
Research Assistant
M.Ed. Geography/Roman Studies
Member of the resource management working group
Main Research Interests: Water scarcity, environmental governance, sustainability, climate adaptation
Spatial Focus: Costa Rica
Dennis Wilke has been a research associate in the Resource Management working group at Osnabrück University since October 2022. He teaches at the Institute of Geography, with a focus on water scarcity, governance, and sustainability.
As part of his doctoral research, he investigates the adaptability of social-ecological systems to increasing water scarcity driven by climatic and human-induced factors. His work centers on community-based water supply organizations in Costa Rica’s coastal regions, particularly in the context of climate change and the expansion of the tourism sector.
In addition to his academic research, he currently leads the Public Relations Working Group at the Institute of Geography. He also previously coordinated the DAAD-funded project Protecting Livelihoods and Biodiversity in Costa Rica (CRLiveDiverse), which was successfully completed in 2024.
Before joining as a research associate, Dennis Wilke completed a Master of Education in Geography and Romanic Studies at the University of Osnabrück. His master's thesis, which was awarded the FrOG Prize in 2023, explored the transformative and behavioral potential of crises in reducing emissions. Focusing on work-related mobility, he analyzed how employee commuting patterns and working conditions at an Osnabrück-based company shifted in response to a crisis situation.
Dennis Wilke
Institute of Geography
Osnabrück University
Seminarstraße 19 a/b
49074 Osnabrück
Room: 66/E21
Barbarastraße 12
49076 Osnabrück
Phone: +49 541 969-2402
dennis.wilke@uni-osnabrueck.de
Consultation hours
n.V.
Wilke, D., Araya Araya, A., & Arias-Araya, M. F. (2025). Commons vs. Commerce – managing water resources between pineapple production and nature conservation. Revista Académica Arjé, 8(1), 1–30. Link
Schlünder, S., Schmidt, K., & Wilke, D. (2025). Introduction. Revista Académica Arjé, 8(1), 1–13. Link
Gorris, P., Wilke, D., & Halbe, J. (2023). Transformative research and capacity building in the education sector to protect livelihoods and biodiversity in Costa Rica. Revista Académica Arjé, 6(2), 1–17. Link
Wilke, D., Rau, H., & Härtling, J. W. (2022). Case study: Assessing the COVID‑19 pandemic’s potential for a more climate‑friendly work‑related mobility. Sustainability, 14(19), 12708. Link