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

    Unternehmerisches Pandemiecontrolling: Damit “nach der Krise” nicht “vor der Krise” wird

    Schaltegger, S., 01.01.2024, In: Controlling. 36, 1, p. 30-36 7 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesTransferpeer-review

  2. Published
  3. Published
  4. Published

    Sustainable chemistry and food systems lessons-the same procedure as every year?

    Zuin Zeidler, V. G., 09.02.2024, In: Science (New York, N.Y.). 383, 6683, eado2352.

    Research output: Journal contributionsOther (editorial matter etc.)Research

  5. Published

    Improving the representation of smallholder farmers’ adaptive behaviour in agent-based models: Learning-by-doing and social learning

    Apetrei, C. I., Strelkovskii, N., Khabarov, N. & Javalera Rincón, V., 01.03.2024, In: Ecological Modelling. 489, 18 p., 110609.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Drawing blanks and winning: Quantifying global catastrophic risk associated with human ingenuity

    Engler, J. O. & Fischer, J. N., 01.06.2024, In: Sustainable Futures. 7, 9 p., 100165.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Flavonoids as benign substitutes for more harmful synthetic chemicals - effects of flavonoids and their transformation products on algae

    Schnarr, L., Olsson, O., Ohls, S., Webersinn, J., Mauch, T. & Kümmerer, K., 01.04.2024, In: Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy. 38, 19 p., 101473.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. E-pub ahead of print

    Did Descriptive and Prescriptive Norms About Gender Equality at Home Change During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Cross-National Investigation

    Saxler, F. M., Dorrough, A. R., Froehlich, L., Block, K., Croft, A., Meeussen, L., Olsson, M., Schmader, T., Schuster, C., van Grootel, S., Van Laar, C., Atkinson, C., Benson-Greenwald, T., Birneanu, A., Cavojova, V., Cheryan, S., Lee Kai Chung, A., Danyliuk, I., Dar-Nimrod, I., de Lemus, S., Diekman, A., Eisner, L., Estevan-Reina, L., Fedáková, D., Gavreliuc, A., Gavreliuc, D., Germano, A., Hässler, T., Henningsen, L., Ishii, K., Kundtová Klocová, E., Kozytska, I., Kulich, C., Lapytskaia Aidy, C., López López, W., Morandini, J., Ramis, T. S., Scheifele, C., Steele, J., Steffens, M. C., Velásquez Díaz, L. M., Venegas, M. & Martiny, S. E., 29.01.2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Homo sapiens reached the higher latitudes of Europe by 45,000 years ago

    Mylopotamitaki, D., Weiss, M., Fewlass, H., Zavala, E. I., Rougier, H., Sümer, A. P., Hajdinjak, M., Smith, G. M., Ruebens, K., Sinet-Mathiot, V., Pederzani, S., Essel, E., Harking, F. S., Xia, H., Hansen, J., Kirchner, A., Lauer, T., Stahlschmidt, M., Hein, M., Talamo, S., Wacker, L., Meller, H., Dietl, H., Orschiedt, J., Olsen, J. V., Zeberg, H., Prüfer, K., Krause, J., Meyer, M., Welker, F., McPherron, S. P., Schüler, T. & Hublin, J. J., 08.02.2024, In: Nature. 626, 7998, p. 341-346 6 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    The Evaluation of the GET.ON Nationwide Web-Only Treatment Service for Depression- and Stress-Related Symptoms: Naturalistic Trial

    Etzelmueller, A., Heber, E., Horvath, H., Radkovsky, A., Lehr, D. & Ebert, D. D., 01.02.2024, In: Journal of Medical Internet Research. 26, 1, 21 p., e42976.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review