Organisation profile

Sustainability has many facets. Inter- and transdisciplinary research and teaching characterize the School of Sustainability. Scientists in our research projects work together in the laboratory, on the heath, in the grassland, in the classroom, with the city administration, with farmers, with non-governmental organizations, with companies, with students in the lecture hall and of course at their desks.

Furthermore, we work with regional and national political actors, e.g. ministries, as well as international organizations, e.g. UNEP, UNESCO, EU. We are part of national and international bodies, e.g. sustainability advisory boards of companies, member of the German Sustainability Award, World Biodiversity Council (IPBES), in order to contribute to social change with scientific findings.

Main research areas

Vision
Sustainability science investigates on a theoretical, conceptual and empirical level how to promote sustainable development and how to find and implement effective solutions for current social and ecological challenges. The aim is to create a more sustainable future.

Sustainability researchers are called upon to take responsibility for their research, which is anchored in existing scientific knowledge and methods and serves to make the world a better place for everyone.

Mission
We promote change towards a sustainable future by developing theories, concepts and practices of inclusive education for sustainability, research, governance and management.

We acknowledge the diversity and dynamics of values, norms and behaviour and contribute with transdisciplinary methods to ensuring that tensions and differences between different disciplines, methods, topics and standards are fruitfully taken up and used with productive compromises and further developments towards sustainable development.

Principles
The School of Sustainability is guided by the normative concepts of ecological system integrity and social and economic justice.

Ecological system integrity refers to the safeguarding of life-support systems, as well as the maintenance of the well-being of life on Earth.

With social and economic justice we strive for a world in which all people can fulfil their potential without endangering system integrity and the well-being of others.

Information about the School
The School of Sustainability includes...
... ca. 25 professors
... ca. 100 research assistants
... ca. 1000 students in Bachelor and Master courses

In various inter- and transdisciplinary projects we are constantly researching and working together on changes and solutions for current challenges.

  1. ZZL-Netzwerk 2.0: Theorie-Praxis-Verzahnung in der Lehrerbildung in den Handlungsfeldern „Kompetenzorientierter Unterricht“, „Inklusion“, „Coaching & Mentoring“ und „Lehrkräftegesundheit“

    Ehmke, T. (Project manager, academic), Leiss, D. (Project manager, academic), Schmidt, T. (Project manager, academic), Weinhold, S. (Project manager, academic), Straub, R. P. (Project staff), Schilling, L. (Project staff), Besser, M. (Project manager, academic), Fischer-Schöneborn, S. (Coordination), Bormann, F. (Project staff), Kuchenbuch, F. (Project staff), Ahlers, M. (Partner), Verbücheln, E.-M. (Project staff), Barth, M. (Partner), Jastrow, F. (Project staff), Süßenbach, J. (Partner), Anders, D. (Project staff), Kleinknecht, M. (Partner), Hohensee, E. (Project staff), Schiemann, S. (Partner), Paulus, P. (Partner), Claußen, J. T. (Project staff), Poschkamp, A.-K. (Project staff), Köllner, G. (Project staff), Hüfner, S. K. (Project staff), Schürmann, H. (Project staff) & Abels, S. (Partner)

    Federal Ministry of Education and Research

    01.07.1931.12.23

    Project: Transfer (R&D project)

  2. ISC3-Summer School 2019

    Kümmerer, K. (Project manager, academic)

    01.08.1931.12.19

    Project: Other

  3. Biologische Abbaubarkeit von chemischen Stoffen

    Kümmerer, K. (Project manager, academic)

    01.09.1931.03.20

    Project: Other

  4. Faunistische und botanische Untersuchungen

    Temperton, V. (Project manager, academic)

    02.09.1930.04.22

    Project: Other

  5. Atempause: Eine tägliche Kurzintervention zur Achtsamkeit bei Grundschulkindern

    Salisch, M. (Project manager, academic), Bergold, J. (Project manager, academic) & Voltmer, K. (Project manager, academic)

    Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony

    01.10.1930.09.23

    Project: Research

  6. handprint approach: Increasing positive contributions to sustainability transformations

    Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic) & Silva, S. (Project staff)

    01.10.1931.12.19

    Project: Research

  7. Political Leadership as a Key Driver towards Sustainability.

    von Stauffenberg, A.-K. (Project manager, academic) & Heinrichs, H. (Project manager, academic)

    01.10.1912.12.23

    Project: Dissertation project

  8. NEWAVE: Next Water Governance

    Newig, J. (Project manager, academic) & Bilalova, S. (Project staff)

    Europäische Union

    01.11.1930.04.24

    Project: Research

  9. ETH-Coffee: Towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy: A Scenario Analysis for the Jimma Coffee Landscape in Ethiopia

    Fischer, J. (Project manager, academic), Schultner, J. (Project manager, academic), Abson, D. (Project manager, academic), Duguma, D. W. (Project manager, academic), Jiren, T. S. (Project staff) & Brück, M. (Project staff)

    Federal Ministry of Education and Research

    01.11.1931.08.23

    Project: Research

  10. Care4Care

    Lehr, D. (Project manager, academic)

    01.12.1931.12.24

    Project: Research

  11. "Sustainability and Digitalization - a European perspective"

    Barth, M. (Project manager, academic), Trittin-Ulbrich, H. (Partner), Lang, D. J. (Partner) & von Wehrden, H. (Partner)

    Robert-Bosch Foundation

    01.12.1931.08.22

    Project: Teaching

  12. Postdoc Academi 2 Kursdurchlauf

    Lang, D. J. (Project manager, academic)

    Robert-Bosch Foundation

    15.12.1915.08.20

    Project: Other

  13. DANCE: DArwin's Naturalization Conundrum rEvisited (DANCE) – Darwin meets omics

    Haider, S. (Project manager, academic), Galmán, A. (Partner), Neumann, S. (Partner), van Dam, N. M. (Partner), Uthe, H. (Partner), Winter, M. (Partner) & Daehler, C. (Project manager, academic)

    01.01.2031.12.23

    Project: Research

  14. GrassSyn - Biodiversity of Brazilian grasslands and savannas: patterns and drivers, ecosystem services, and strategies for conservation and restoration

    Overbeck, G. E. (Project manager, academic), Temperton, V. (Partner), Anand, M. (Partner), Santiago, B. (Partner), Carlucci, M. (Partner), Dechoum, M. (Partner), Durigan, G. (Partner), Fidelis, A. (Partner), Guido, A. (Partner), Menezes, L. (Partner), Müller, S. (Partner), Rosenfield, M. F. (Partner), Sampaio, A. (Partner), Sosinski, E. (Partner), Staude, I. (Partner), Tornquist, C. G. (Partner), Turchetto, C. (Partner), Veldman, J. W. (Partner), Vélez-Martin, E. (Partner) & Wiesmeier, M. (Partner)

    01.01.2031.12.22

    Project: Research

  15. Kolleg Didaktik: Digital

    Abels, S. (Project manager, academic) & Stinken-Rösner, L. (Project staff)

    Joachim Herz Stiftung

    01.01.2030.09.22

    Project: Teaching

  16. Green Fashion Challenge: Modekultur, Textilien und Nachhaltigkeit

    Hörisch, J. (Project manager, academic) & Hampe, L. (Project staff)

    01.01.2001.03.21

    Project: Other

  17. NEu: Nutrient Network Europe

    Harpole, W. S. (Project manager, academic) & Haider, S. (Partner)

    01.01.2031.12.24

    Project: Research

  18. SUSTIL: Szenarien zur Umsetzung der UN-Nachhaltigkeitsziele in Stadt und Landkreis Lüneburg: Implikationen für die Steuerung von Landnutzung

    Hörisch, J. (Project manager, academic), Lang, D. J. (Project manager, academic), von Wehrden, H. (Project manager, academic), Ackerschott, A. (Project staff), Kohlhase, E. (Project staff) & Schmidt, A. (Project staff)

    Federal Ministry of Education and Research

    01.02.2031.01.25

    Project: Research

  19. CODIP: Competences for Digital-Enhanced Individualized Practice

    Ahlers, M. (Project manager, academic), Besser, M. (Project manager, academic), Kuhl, P. (Project manager, academic), Lehr, D. (Partner), Süßenbach, J. (Partner), Schmidt, T. (Partner), Herzog, C. (Coordination), Altenburger, L. (Project staff), Diekhoff, H. (Project staff), Hase, A. K. (Project staff), Kahnbach, L. (Project staff), Wendt, C. (Project staff), Wucherpfennig, S. (Project staff), Horst de Cuestas, K. (Project staff) & Neumann, A. (Partner)

    Federal Ministry of Education and Research

    01.03.2031.12.23

    Project: Research

  20. Die Bremischen Häfen in der Globalen Politischen Ökonomie

    Möller, S. (Project manager, academic)

    01.03.2031.12.20

    Project: Teaching

  21. Künstlerisch-wissenschaftliche Politik- und Öffentlichkeitsberatung

    Heinrichs, H. (Project manager, academic)

    01.03.2028.02.21

    Project: Research

  22. A Change in Perspective - The Role of Photography in Environmental Communication

    Brosien, P. N. (Project manager, academic) & Heinrichs, H. (Project staff)

    01.05.20 → …

    Project: Dissertation project

  23. tdAcademy: Modul Gäste und Fellows

    Lang, D. J. (Project manager, academic), Grauer, C. (Project staff) & Lam, D. (Project staff)

    Robert-Bosch Foundation

    01.05.2031.05.25

    Project: Research

  24. tdAcademy: Platform for Transdisciplinary Research and Studies

    Lang, D. J. (Project manager, academic), Grauer, C. (Project staff) & Lam, D. (Project manager, academic)

    Federal Ministry of Education and Research

    01.06.2031.08.23

    Project: Research

  25. Kili-SES (NCP): Demand and values of Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP)

    Martín-López, B. (Project manager, academic), Groß, M. (Project staff), Pearson, J. (Project staff) & Julius, J. (Project staff)

    German Research Foundation

    01.07.2001.02.26

    Project: Research

  26. ESuDis: Effects of land management on the Supply and Distribution of ecosystem services

    Martín-López, B. (Project manager, academic), Felipe-Lucia, M. R. (Project manager, academic) & Isaac, R. (Project staff)

    German Research Foundation

    13.07.2031.12.23

    Project: Research

  27. KEMOV: Konzeption und Evaluierung eines Mindset-orientierten Verhandlungstrainings

    Trötschel, R. (Project manager, academic), Warsitzka, M. (Project manager, academic) & Mann, M. (Project staff)

    01.08.2015.10.23

    Project: Research

  28. Mindsets in value-driven conflicts

    Schuster, C. (Project manager, academic) & Harinck, F. (Partner)

    01.08.2031.07.21

    Project: Research

  29. PostDoc Academy: 3. Kursdurchlauf an der Leuphana

    Lang, D. J. (Project manager, academic)

    Robert-Bosch Foundation

    01.08.2031.03.22

    Project: Research

  30. PREMIER: Prioritisation and Risk Evaluation of Medicines in the EnviRonment

    Kümmerer, K. (Project manager, academic), Olsson, O. (Project manager, academic) & Puhlmann, N. (Project staff)

    Europäische Union

    01.09.2031.08.26

    Project: Research

  31. Moving to the real world: Testing biodiversity and priority effects for restoring multifunctional grasslands

    Temperton, V. (Project manager, academic) & Ernst, L. M. (Project staff)

    01.10.2030.09.23

    Project: Research

  32. BiodiWert: Was sind erfolgreiche Konzepte zur Wiederherstellung artenreichen Grünlandes in Deutschland? Eine multiregionale Bewertung sozial-ökologischer Systeme und pilothafte Umsetzung (Grassworks)

    Temperton, V. (Project manager, academic), Leventon, J. (Project staff), Fischer, J. (Project manager, academic), Martín-López, B. (Project staff), May, F. (Project staff), Tischew, S. (Partner), Kirmer, A. (Partner), Kollmann, J. (Partner), Beckmann, V. (Partner), Dieker, P. (Partner), Thiele, J. (Partner) & Metzner, J. (Partner)

    Federal Ministry of Education and Research

    01.10.2030.09.21

    Project: Research

  33. PRIME Stipendium: Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience

    Martín-López, B. (Project manager, academic)

    01.12.2031.05.22

    Project: Other

  34. iCon: Analysing plant invasions in their environmental context

    Haider, S. (Project manager, academic), Milanović, M. (Project staff) & Kühn, I. (Project manager, academic)

    01.01.2131.12.23

    Project: Research

  35. ESD for 2030: Lernen für und in resiliente(n) und nachhaltige(n) Kommunen

    Lang, D. J. (Project manager, academic), Bürgener, L. (Coordination) & Drautz, S. (Project staff)

    German Federal Environmental Foundation

    01.01.2131.12.24

    Project: Research