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
How to promote spider diversity of heathlands: impact of management intensity
Matevski, D., Temperton, V. M., Walmsley, D., Haerdtle, W., Daniels, J. & Boutaud, E., 04.2025, In: Biodiversity and Conservation. 34, p. 1057-1070 14 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Nutrition-induced changes in the microbiota can cause dysbiosis and disease development
Lachnit, T., Ulrich, L., Willmer, F. M., Hasenbein, T., Steiner, L. X., Wolters, M., Herbst, E. M. & Deines, P., 04.2025, In: mBio. 16, 4, 18 p., e03843-24.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Resilience and the Sustainable Development Goals: a scrutiny of urban strategies in the 100 Resilient Cities initiative
Kochskämper, E., Glass, L.-M., Haupt, W., Malekpour, S. & Grainger-Brown, J., 04.2025, In: Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. 68, 7, p. 1691-1717 27 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
When Testing Becomes Learning—Underscoring the Relevance of Habituation to Improve Internal Validity of Common Neurocognitive Tests
Warneke, K., Oraže, M., Plöschberger, G., Herbsleb, M., Afonso, J. & Wallot, S., 04.2025, In: European Journal of Neuroscience. 61, 8, 14 p., e70117.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Biosphere Reserves as catalysts for sustainability transformations: five strategies to support place-based innovation
Dabard, C. H., Mann, C. & Martín-López, B., 01.04.2025, In: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. 73, 6 p., 101508.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Diversity on a small scale: phylogeography of the locally endemic dwarf succulent genus Oophytum (Aizoaceae) in the Knersvlakte of South Africa
Schmidt, S. A., Schmiedel, U., Carstens, F., Rau, A.-L. & Rudolph-Bartsch, B., 01.04.2025, In: Annals of Botany. 135, 4, p. 735-756 22 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Green chemistry and sustainable chemistry related to water challenges: Solutions and prospects in a changing climate
Mahjoub, B., Fersi, C., Bouteffeha, M. & Kümmerer, K., 01.04.2025, In: Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry. 52, 11 p., 101000.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Assessing the Cultural Fit of a Digital Sleep Intervention for Refugees in Germany: Qualitative Study
Blomenkamp, M., Kiesel, A., Baumeister, H., Lehr, D., Unterrainer, J., Sander, L. B. & Spanhel, K., 03.04.2025, In: JMIR Formative Research. 9, 15 p., e65412.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- E-pub ahead of print
How to Assess Knowledge Cumulation in Environmental Governance Research? Conceptual and Empirical Explorations
Newig, J. & Rose, M., 11.04.2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Environmental Policy and Governance. p. 1-20Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- E-pub ahead of print
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., 16.04.2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Ambio. 17 p., e517.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research