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.
- 2025
- Published
New draft law on environmental licensing is a major threat to the Brazilian ecosystems and can hinder ecological restoration efforts
Weidlich, E. W. A., de Morae, L. F. D. & Engel, V. L., 09.2025, In: Restoration Ecology. 33, 7, 1 p., e70171.Research output: Journal contributions › Other (editorial matter etc.) › Research
- Published
Proposing a social-ecological framework for successful grassland restoration in Germany—an overview and insights from the Grassworks project
Temperton, V. M., Pătru-Dușe, I. A., Twerski, A., Laeseke, P., Neudert, R., Cebrián-Piqueras, M. A., Romero, M. P., Bauer, M., Beckmann, V., Fischer, J., Gray, K., Härdtle, W., Kollmann, J., Kuhn, L., Laschke, C. J., Loos, J., Lutz, L., May, F., Meyer, M., Martin-Lopez, B., Riechers, M., Ptacek, M., Seifert, D., Schmidt, A., Sturm, L., Thiele, J., Tischew, S., Unseld, L., Venus, T., Wiesmeier, M. & Kirmer, A., 09.2025, In: Restoration Ecology. 33, 7, 15 p., e70109.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
The questions we ask matter: insights from place-based research on nature’s contributions to people
Gross, M., Shepeleva, D., Vogel, F., Mwampamba, T. H., Arbieu, U., Pearson, J., Sesabo, J. K., Codalli, F. & Martín-López, B., 09.2025, In: Sustainability Science. 20, 5, p. 1723-1738 16 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Effects of Warming, Nitrogen and Grazing on Plant Functional Traits Differ Between Alpine and Sub-Alpine Grasslands
Halbritter, A. H., Atkinson, J., Maré, C., Ahler, S. J., Andersen, E. A. S., Bradler, P. M., Correia, M., Elsy, A., Eshelman, S. E., Geange, S. R., Hayden, M., Mauki, D., Eckberg, J., Erkelenz, J., Guclu, C., Löwenstein, C. E., Maitner, B. S., Baumane, M., Dawson, H. R., Enquist, B., Garen, J. C., Holle, M. J. M., Labella, J. C., Lepley, K., Michaletz, S. T., Olivier, B., Ray, C. A., von Oppen, J., Telford, R. J. & Vandvik, V., 01.09.2025, In: Journal of Vegetation Science. 36, 5, 15 p., e70061.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- E-pub ahead of print
Don’t let generative AI shape how we see chemistry
Moores, A. & Zuin Zeidler, V. G., 16.09.2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Nature Reviews Chemistry. 9, p. 649-650 2 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Comments / Debate / Reports › Research
- Published
Expert Consensus Messaging as a Lever Against Vaccination Misinformation
Kause, A. & Schmid, P., 24.09.2025, In: Collabra: Psychology. 11, 1, 16 p., 143778.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- E-pub ahead of print
Older people care increases the gender gap in academia
Vidal-Abarca, M. R., Martín-López, B., Sala-Bubaré, A., Anton-Pardo, M., Catalan, N., Freixa, A., Lupon, A., Nicolás-Ruiz, N., Poblador, S., Rodríguez-Lozano, P., Sánchez-Montoya, M. D. M. & Suárez, M. L., 12.2025, In: Scientific Reports. 15, 1, 10 p., 33336.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Exploring biocultural diversity: A systematic analysis and refined classification to inform decisions on conservation and sustainability
Otamendi-Urroz, I., Quintas-Soriano, C., Hanspach, J., Requena-Mullor, J. M., Lagies, A. S. & Castro, A. J., 10.2025, In: Ambio. 54, 10, p. 1581-1597 17 p., e517.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Inconsistent short-term effects of enhanced structural complexity on soil microbial properties across German forests
Schwarz, R., Eisenhauer, N., Ammer, C., Bradler, P. M., Decker, O., Delory, B. M., Dietrich, P., Fichtner, A., Huang, Y., Lettenmaier, L., Junginger, M., Mitesser, O., Müller, J., von Oheimb, G., Pierick, K., Scherer-Lorenzen, M. & Cesarz, S., 10.2025, In: Applied Soil Ecology. 214, 13 p., 106335.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Uncovering decolonial pedagogies for learning agroecological transitions: comparative analysis of South America cases
Bonatti, M., Reynaldo, R. G., Martín-López, B., Bolivar, S., Cordero-Fernández, M., Miguel, G. C., Martin, A., Hämmerle, J., Schröter, B., Erismann, C., da Silva Rosa, T., Hellin, J., Schlindwein, I., Osorio, Á. A., Medina, L., Baldivieso, C., Eufemia, L., Jacobi, J., Lobo Guerrero, A. M. & Sieber, S., 10.2025, In: Global Environmental Change. 94, 15 p., 103042.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review