Since 2004 Prof. Dr. Kemfert has been head of the department of energy, transportation and environment at the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin (DIW Berlin) and Professor of Energy Economics and Energy Policy at Leuphana University. Her research focuses on the economic assessment of climate and energy policy strategies.
As reviewer and policy consultant she is member of numerous sustainability advisory boards and commissions. Since 2016 she is member of the German Council on the Environment. In the High Level Group on Energy and climate she advised EU President José Manuel Barroso and acts in diverse scientific advisory boards.
She was awarded several prices: the high level prize as one of the top eleven young scientists in Germany by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Science Foundation), the Helmholtz- and the Leibniz-Foundation in 2006, in 2011 the Urania Medaille as well as the B.A.U.M. environmental award for best public science, in 2016 the Adam Smith Award for a social-ecological economy as well as the German Solar Award. She is member of Club of Rome, since 2016 in the steering committee.
Apart from regular media appearances in major news outlets, she provides orientation in “Kemfert’s climate podcast” on the public radio station MDR. There, she evaluates political decisions, classifies scientific findings and gives tips for sustainable living