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. Published

    Abweichendes Verhalten von Kindern und Jugendlichen

    Kohlschmidt, A., 2013, Praxisratgeber zur Betreuung und Beratung von Kindern und Jugendlichen: Problemsituationen, Unterstützungsangebote und rechtliche Möglichkeiten in besonderen und schwierigen Lebenslagen. Krüger, R. (ed.). Merching: Forum Verlag Herkert GmbH, Vol. 2. p. 1-34 34 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesTransferpeer-review

  2. Published

    Academia's obsession with quantity

    Fischer, J., Ritchie, E. G. & Hanspach, J., 01.09.2012, In: Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 27, 9, p. 473-474 2 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsComments / Debate / ReportsResearch

  3. Published

    Academic staff development as a catalyst for curriculum change towards education for sustainable development: an output perspective

    Barth, M. & Rieckmann, M., 05.2012, In: Journal of Cleaner Production. 26, p. 28-36 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    A call for statistical editors in ecology

    Von Wehrden, H., Schultner, J. & Abson, D. J., 01.06.2015, In: Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 30, 6, p. 293 - 294 2 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    A caring and sustainable economy: A concept note from a feminist perspective

    Biesecker, A., Darooka, P., Gottschlich, D., Lanuza, M., Röhr, U., Schildberg, C., Tovar-Restrepo, M. & Ventura Dias, V., 2014, Berlin: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, 18 p. (International policy analysis).

    Research output: Working paperWorking papers

  6. Published

    A Cash Flow Based Analysis of Government Finance: How Well Balanced Is the Locationholders' Budget?

    Schaltegger, S., 1999, Basel: Wirtschaftswissenschaftliches Zentrum (WWZ) der Universität Basel, p. 1-16, 16 p. (WWZ-Discussion Paper ; no. 9904).

    Research output: Working paperWorking papers

  7. Published

    Accelerated dereplication of natural products, supported by reference libraries

    Bitzer, J., Köpcke, B., Stadler, M., Hellwig, V., Ju, Y.-M., Seip, S. & Henkel, T., 27.06.2007, In: Chimia. 61, 6, p. 332-338 7 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearch

  8. E-pub ahead of print

    Accelerating the industrial transition with safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD)

    Soeteman-Hernández, L. G., Tickner, J. A., Dierckx, A., Kümmerer, K., Apel, C. & Strömberg, E., 17.02.2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: RSC Sustainability. 7 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  9. Published
  10. Published

    Accounting and Modeling as Design Metaphors for CEMIS

    Möller, A., 2014, Information Technology in Environmental Engineering: Selected Contributions to the 6th International Conference on Information Technologies in Environmental Engineering (ITEE 2013). Funk, B., Niemeyer, P. & Marx Gomez, J. (eds.). 1 ed. Springer, p. 119-130 11 p. (Environmental Engineering).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review