School of Sustainability
Organisational unit: Research School
- Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM)
- Institute of Ecology
- Institute of Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research
- Institute of Sustainability Governance
- Institute of Sustainability Material Flows and Circularity
- Institute of Sustainability Psychology
- Institute of Sustainable Chemistry
- Social-Ecological Systems Institute (SESI)
- Sustainability Education and Transdisciplinary Research Institute
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.
A-SYM: The role of (non-)synchronous coordination and its quantification in joint action
Wallot, S. (Project manager, academic), Mønster, D. (Project manager, academic), Leonardi, G. (Project manager, academic) & Gordon, I. (Project manager, academic)
01.07.21 → 30.06.25
Project: Research
INPLAMINT 3: INPLAMINT - Erhöhung der landwirtschaftlichen Nährstoffnutzungseffizienz durch Optimierung von Pflanze-Boden-Mikroorganismen-Wechselwirkungen (Teilprojekt F)
Temperton, V. (Project manager, academic)
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
01.06.21 → 31.12.24
Project: Research
C2C-Modellregion: Modellvorhaben: Neue Strategien und Strukturen für eine Cradle to Cradle Modellregion in Nordost-Niedersachsen
Braungart, M. (Project manager, academic)
01.06.21 → 30.04.24
Project: Research
ZIL-Kontakt: Sustainable information logistics for digital contact tracing of infectious diseases
Drews, P. (Project manager, academic), Funk, B. (Project manager, academic), Heger, J. (Project manager, academic), Lehr, D. (Project manager, academic), Zimmer, M. P. (Coordination), Kortmann, F. (Project staff), Fassmeyer, P. (Project staff) & Usko, N. (Project manager, academic)
21.05.21 → 31.03.23
Project: Research
RangeX: Mechanisms underlying the success and impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of range-expanding species under climate change
Haider, S. (Project manager, academic), Buhaly, M. (Project staff), Alexander, J. M. (Coordination), Clark, V. R. (Partner), Høye, T. T. (Partner), Kardol, P. (Partner) & Vandvik, V. (Partner)
01.04.21 → 31.03.25
Project: Research
Gender Equality in the 21st Century - Country-Level and Individual-Level Factors Related to Women’s and Men’s Intentions to Contribute to Childcare – A Cross-National Comparison across 49 Countries
Schuster, C. (Project manager, academic), Martiny, S. E. (Partner), Schmader, T. (Partner), Block, K. (Partner), Van Laar, C. (Partner) & Meeussen, L. (Partner)
15.01.21 → 31.12.23
Project: Research
iCon: Analysing plant invasions in their environmental context
Haider, S. (Project manager, academic), Milanović, M. (Project staff) & Kühn, I. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.21 → 31.12.23
Project: Research
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
01.01.21 → 31.12.24
Project: Research
Innovation Plus 2021/2022 Nr. 63
Lang, D. J. (Project manager, academic)
Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony
01.01.21 → 31.12.22
Project: Teaching
Innovation Plus 2021/2022 Nr. 64
von Wehrden, H. (Project manager, academic)
Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony
01.01.21 → 31.12.22
Project: Teaching