A physicist by training, Director Emeritus of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) Hans Joachim (“John”) Schellnhuber held numerous professorships (e.g University of Potsdam; University of East Anglia, Norwich) and visiting professorships (e.g. University of California, Oxford University; Santa Fe Institute; Tsinghua University). As founding director of PIK, Schellnhuber led the institute from 1991 to 2018. As a senior scientist, he has been appointed to various positions, including Co-Chair of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU), Governing Board Chair of the Climate-KIC of the Euro-pean Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), and Chair of the Standing Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment of the German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina). He contributed in various ways to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. Schellnhuber served as scientific advisor to a number of eminent political and religious leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso, and Pope Francis. He is a member of numerous national and international committees dealing with scientific strategies and sustainability issues. Since 2019, he has been intensively involved in the creation of a "Bauhaus der Erde" and is a member of the New European Bauhaus High-level roundtable.