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. 2024
  2. Published

    Hill–Chao numbers allow decomposing gamma multifunctionality into alpha and beta components

    Chao, A., Chiu, C.-H., Hu, K.-H., van der Plas, F., Cadotte, M. W., Mitesser, O., Thorn, S., Mori, A. S., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Eisenhauer, N., Bässler, C., Delory, B., Feldhaar, H., Fichtner, A., Hothorn, T., Peters, M. K., Pierick, K., von Oheimb, G. & Müller, J., 01.2024, In: Ecology Letters. 27, 1, 14 p., e14336.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    I share because of who I am: values, identities, norms, and attitudes explain sharing intentions

    Schuster, C., Goseberg, T., Arnold, J. & Sundermann, A., 01.2024, In: Journal of Social Psychology. 164, 2, p. 199-217 19 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Promoting Subjective Well-Being and a Sustainable Lifestyle in Children and Youth by Strengthening Their Personal Psychological Resources

    Voltmer, K. & von Salisch, M., 01.2024, In: Sustainability. 16, 1, 16 p., 134.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  5. Published

    Räumliche Mixturen. (Stadt-)Räumliche Einschreibungen sozial-ökologischer Trennungs- und Vermittlungsverhältnisse in Zeiten der Corona-Pandemie

    Mölders, T. & Hofmeister, S., 01.2024, Urbane Mixturen : Städtebau und Stadtplanung als relationales Handlungsfeld. Peer, C. & Psenner, A. (eds.). Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, p. 216-241 26 p. (Urban studies ).

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

  6. Published

    Systematic distributions of interaction strengths across tree interaction networks yield positive diversity–productivity relationships

    Yu, W., Albert, G., Rosenbaum, B., Schnabel, F., Bruelheide, H., Connolly, J., Härdtle, W., von Oheimb, G., Trogisch, S., Rüger, N. & Brose, U., 01.2024, In: Ecology Letters. 27, 1, 11 p., e14338.

    Research output: Journal contributionsComments / Debate / ReportsResearch

  7. Published

    Transformation von Schule durch inklusiven Nawi-Unterricht

    List, F. & Abels, S., 01.2024, Frühe naturwissenschaftliche Bildung: Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Chemie und Physik, Jahrestagung in Hamburg 2023. van Vorst, H. (ed.). Essen: Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Chemie und Physik, p. 714-717 4 p. (Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Chemie und Physik; no. 50)(Tagungsband; vol. 44).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapter

  8. Published

    Angehende Lehrpersonen der Primar- und Sekundarstufe gestalten inklusiven naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht – eine Videostudie mit dem Kategoriensystem inklusiver naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht (KinU)

    Brauns, S. & Abels, S., 2024, Videographische Forschung zu inklusivem Unterricht: Erziehungswissenschaftliche und fachdidaktische Perspektiven. Wilm, G., Koßmann, R., Böse, S., Fabel-Lamla, M. & Meyer-Jain, C. (eds.). Bad Heilbrunn: Verlag Julius Klinkhardt, p. 210-227 18 p.

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

  9. Published

    Art. 9 VO (EU) 2020/852

    Schatz, V. J. & Köster, M., 2024, Frank Fellenberg & Martin Kment (Hrsg.), Taxonomie-VO: Kommentar. 1 ed. München: C.H. Beck Verlag, p. 165-174 10 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions in collection of commentariesResearch

  10. Published

    Assessing Knowledge Cumulation in Earth System Governance Research: Codebook and Aggregation Rules

    Newig, J. & Rose, M., 2024, SSRN Social Science Research Network, 14 p. (SSRN Electronic Journal).

    Research output: Working paperWorking papers

  11. Published

    Chemie für alle: Diversität anerkennen – Barrieren erkennen – Partizipation ermöglichen im Chemieunterricht

    Rott, L., Abels, S., Nehring, A. & Menthe, J., 2024, In: Naturwissenschaft im Unterricht - Chemie. 35, 204, p. 2-9 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesTransferpeer-review