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

    Design of a Master of Science Sustainable Chemistry

    Elschami, M. & Kümmerer, K., 01.09.2020, In: Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy. 17, 10 p., 100270.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Design of greener drugs: aligning parameters in pharmaceutical R&D and drivers for environmental impact

    Vidaurre, R., Bramke, I., Puhlmann, N., Owen, S. F., Angst, D., Moermond, C., Venhuis, B., Lombardo, A., Kümmerer, K., Sikanen, T., Ryan, J., Häner, A., Janer, G., Roggo, S. & Perkins, A. N., 01.07.2024, In: Drug Discovery Today. 29, 7, 10 p., 104022.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  3. Published

    Design of new environmentally benign pharmaceutically active compounds

    Kümmerer, K., Frei, E. & Marano, G., 2013, 14th EuCheMS International Conference on Chemistry and the Environment: Book of abstracts. European Association of Chemical and Molecular Sciences (EuCheMS) / Division of Chemistry and the Environment (DCE), p. 423 1 p.

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

  4. Published

    Design principles for advancing higher education sustainability learning through transformative research

    Bernert, P., Wanner, M., Fischer, N. & Barth, M., 23.12.2022, In: Environment, Development and Sustainability. Special Issue, 18 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Design rules for environmental biodegradability of phenylalanine alkyl ester linked ionic liquids

    Suk, M., Haiß, A., Westphal, J., Jordan, A., Kellett, A., Kapitanov, I. V., Karpichev, Y., Gathergood, N. & Kümmerer, K., 21.07.2020, In: Green Chemistry . 22, 14, p. 4498-4508 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Deskriptive Statistik in der qualitativen Sozialforschung

    Grunenberg, H. & Kuckartz, U., 2010, Handbuch qualitative Forschungsmethoden in der Erziehungswissenschaft. Friebertshäuser, B., Langer, A., Prengel, A., Boller, H. & Richter, S. (eds.). 3 ed. Weinheim/München: Juventa Verlag, p. 487-500 14 p.

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

  7. Published

    Des Unbekannten Zähmung. Abschied vom Gegensatz Natur versus Kultur

    Hofmeister, S., 1999, In: Politische Ökologie. 59, p. 27-28 2 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Detection and mapping of water pollution variation in the Nile Delta using multivariate clustering and GIS techniques

    Shaban, M., Urban, B., El Saadi, A. M. K. & Faisal, M., 01.08.2010, In: Journal of Environmental Management. 91, 8, p. 1785-1793 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Detection of significant tracer gases by means of polymer gas sensors

    Meyer, J. T., Georgiadis, A., Persaud, K. C. & Scorsonne, E., 01.08.2005, In: Chemie-Ingenieur-Technik. 77, 8, p. 1144-1144 1 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsConference abstract in journalResearch

  10. Published