Welcome | Panel discussion: Biomass Research 2045

Dr. Dirk Orlamünder was born in 1971. After studying computer science and economics with a focus on macroeconomics at the Technical University of Dresden, he earned his Ph.D. in 2006 with a dissertation on network economies. He subsequently spent several years as a researcher at the Technical University of Dresden (TU Dresden) and the Leipzig Graduate School of Management (HHL). From 2007 to 2009, he worked in the Saxon State Parliament as a parliamentary advisor on economic, labor market, transportation, and higher education policy. Since 2009, he has been employed by the Saxon State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labor, Energy, and Climate Protection (SMWA), where he has headed various departments. He currently heads the “Energy, Climate Protection, and Mining” department. 

© SMWA | Götz Schleser

Moderation of a themed table: “Wirtschaft”

Since November 2024, she has headed the Renewable Fuels division at en2x – the German Trade Association for Fuels and Energy. In this role, she is primarily responsible for regulatory issues related to the market introduction of renewable fuels in the transportation sector. Prior to that, from 2020 to 2024, she worked as a research assistant and personal aide to an FDP member of the German Bundestag, focusing primarily on transportation policy issues. She completed her master’s degree in political science at the universities of Würzburg, Cologne, and Odense (Denmark).

Moderation of a themed table: „Wissenschaft“

Dr. Holger Weimar has been with the Thünen Institute of Forestry since 2007 and has headed the Timber Markets Division there since 2013. He studied forestry at the University of Hamburg, including a semester abroad at Bangor University in Wales. He earned his Ph.D. in the economics of the timber and forestry industries at the University of Hamburg. Prior to his studies, he trained as a carpenter.
His work focuses on the analysis of national and international timber markets, market modeling, raw material monitoring, material flow analysis, and topics such as the availability and use of wood (products), wood energy, and the bioeconomy. He is a member of various national and international committees on topics such as the bioeconomy, forestry and timber statistics, wood energy, and sustainable wood products.

Short pitch

Degree in mechanical engineering, Ph.D. in chemical process engineering; has been at the Research Institute for Water Management and Climate Future at RWTH Aachen University since 2019; Head of the Department of Energy Technology and Sector Coupling since early 2025; has led numerous projects in thermochemical and biological biomass conversion and utilization.

Impulse Presentation: Status of Germany’s Long-Term Strategy for Negative Emissions

I am a certified environmental journalist by profession and have been working at the Federal Ministry for the Environment since October 3, 1990 (2022–24 at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs). I have worked in various departments within the ministry, including the press office, funding affairs, nature conservation, and climate protection.

Impulse: Die Zuckerrübe - ein Klassiker neu gedacht für eine innovative Bioraffinerie

For the past three years, I have been working for the Cosun Beet Company in Anklam on the question of how a sugar beet biorefinery can produce sustainably with the lowest possible emissions throughout the entire value chain, and which new products can be produced economically from sugar beets in the future.