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

    Putting Architecture in its Social Space: the Fields and Skills of Planning Maastricht

    Herberg, J., 01.01.2015, Architecture, Materiality and Society: Connecting Sociology of Architecture with Science and Technology Studies. Müller, A.-L. & Reichmann, W. (eds.). Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 166-197 32 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapterpeer-review

  2. Published
  3. Published

    Putting sustainable chemistry and resource use into context: The role of temporal diversity

    Weiser, A., Lang, D. J. & Kümmerer, K., 01.06.2017, In: Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy. 5, p. 105-114 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Putting sustainable supply chain management into base of the pyramid research

    Khalid, R. U., Seuring, S., Land, A., Yawar, S. A., Wagner, R. & Beske-Janssen, P., 14.09.2015, In: Supply Chain Management. 20, 6, p. 681-696 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Qualifizierung für unternehmerische Nachhaltigkeit

    Schaltegger, S. (Editor), 2007, Lüneburg: Centre for Sustainability Management. 16 p. (CSM-Newsletter; vol. 1/2007)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueTransfer

  6. Published

    Qualitative Daten computergestutzt auswerten: Methoden, Techniken, Software

    Kuckartz, U. & Grunenberg, H., 2010, Handbuch qualitative Forschungsmethoden in der Erziehungswissenschaft. Friebertshauser, B., Langer, A., Prengel, A., Boller, H. & Richter, S. (eds.). 3 ed. Weinheim/München: Juventa Verlag, p. 501-514 15 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearch

  7. Published

    Qualitative environmental risk assessment of photolytic transformation products of iodinated X-ray contrast agent diatrizoic acid

    Rastogi, T., Leder, C. & Kümmerer, K., 01.06.2014, In: The Science of The Total Environment. 482-483, 1, p. 378-388 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Qualitätssicherung und Entwicklung in der Elementarpädagogik: Eine Interdisziplinäre, qualitative Studie zum Einsatz des Instruments der Balanced Scorecard im Feld der Kindertagesstätten

    Asmussen, S., 2012, Hamburg: Verlag Dr. Kovač. 98 p. (Frühpädagogik in Forschung und Praxis; vol. 2)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesMonographsResearch

  9. Published

    Quality and Adoption of COVID-19 Tracing Apps and Recommendations for Development: Systematic Interdisciplinary Review of European Apps

    Kahnbach, L., Lehr, D., Brandenburger, J., Mallwitz, T., Jent, S., Hannibal, S., Funk, B. & Janneck, M., 02.06.2021, In: Journal of Medical Internet Research. 23, 6, 18 p., e27989.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  10. Published

    Quality System Development at the University of Graz: Lessons Learned from the Case of RCE Graz-Styria

    Zimmermann, F. M., Raggautz, A., Maier, K., Drage, T., Mader, M., Diethart, M. & Meyer, J., 2014, Sustainable Development and Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Transformation of Learning and Society . Fadeeva, Z., Galkute, L., Mader, C. & Scott, G. (eds.). Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 131-152 22 p. (Palgrave Studies in Global Higher Education).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapterpeer-review