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. Nawi-In: Naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht inklusiv gestalten - Kompetenzentwicklung von Lehramtsstudierenden für und mit der Praxis

    Abels, S. (Project manager, academic), Barth, M. (Project manager, academic), Egger, D. (Project staff), Brauns, S. (Project staff) & Sellin, K. (Project staff)

    Federal Ministry of Education and Research

    01.04.1830.09.21

    Project: Research

  2. TreeDi: TreeDiversity Interactions (TreeDi): The role of tree-tree interactions in local neighbourhoods in Chinese subtropical forests - International Research Training Group funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)

    Härdtle, W. (Project manager, academic), von Oheimb, G. (Project manager, academic), Fichtner, A. (Project manager, academic), Perles-García, M. D. (Project staff), Bruelheide, H. (Project manager, academic) & Wang, Y. (Project manager, academic)

    01.04.1830.09.22

    Project: Research

  3. CapaCity: Building Capacity for Climate Resilience and Sustainability in Cities

    Lang, D. J. (Project manager, academic), John, B. (Project manager, academic), Wiek, A. (Project manager, academic), Keeler, L. W. (Project manager, academic), Beaudoin, F. D. (Project manager, academic), Fink, J. (Project manager, academic), Shandas, V. (Project manager, academic), Lerner, A. (Project manager, academic), Almasan, O. (Project manager, academic) & Tamm, K. (Project manager, academic)

    01.02.1815.03.19

    Project: Research

  4. Impacts of plant invasions on the taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional homogeni-zation of mountain ecosystems across a broad latitudinal gradient

    Haider, S. (Project staff), Pauchard, A. (Project manager, academic), Cavieres, L. (Project manager, academic), Bustamante, R. (Project manager, academic), García, R. A. (Project manager, academic) & Marticorena, A. (Project manager, academic)

    01.01.1831.12.22

    Project: Research

  5. COUPLED: Operationalising telecouplings for solving sustainability challenges related to land use

    Newig, J. (Project manager, academic), Coenen, J. (Project staff) & Challies, E. (Project staff)

    Europäische Union

    01.01.1830.06.22

    Project: Research

  6. Potenziale und Grenzen von Crowdfunding für Nachhaltige Entwicklung

    Hörisch, J. (Project manager, academic)

    01.01.1819.03.19

    Project: Other

  7. SoilTemp Project

    Haider, S. (Project staff), Lembrechts, J. J. (Project manager, academic) & Lenoir, J. (Project manager, academic)

    01.01.18 → …

    Project: Research

  8. Working group “Consensus network of invasion hypotheses”

    Haider, S. (Partner), Jeschke, J. M. (Project manager, academic), Enders, M. (Project manager, academic), Bernard-Verdier, M. (Project staff), Catford, J. A. (Project staff), Gómez-Aparicio, L. (Project staff), Heger, T. (Project staff), Meyerson, L. A. (Project staff), Novoa, A. (Project staff), Ricciardi, A. (Project staff), Vila, M. (Project staff), Essl, F. (Project staff), Hulme, P. E. (Project staff), van Kleunen, M. (Project staff), Lockwood, J. L. (Project staff), Pyšek, P. (Project staff), Strayer, D. L. (Project staff) & Yannelli, F. A. (Project staff)

    01.01.1831.12.18

    Project: Research

  9. Lehreinheiten Basiskompetenzen Inklusion in den Fachdidaktiken (Zweite Förderphase)

    Besser, M. (Project manager, academic), Abels, S. (Partner), Leiss, D. (Partner), Schmidt, T. (Partner), Süßenbach, J. (Partner), Greve, S. (Project staff) & Troll, B. (Project staff)

    Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony

    01.12.1731.03.19

    Project: Research