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. 2019
  2. Published

    Effects of elevated growth temperature and enhanced atmospheric vapour pressure deficit on needle and root terpenoid contents of two Douglas fir provenances

    Duan, Q., Kleiber, A., Jansen, K., Junker, L. V., Kammerer, B., Han, G., Zimmer, I., Rennenberg, H., Schnitzler, J. P., Ensminger, I., Gessler, A. & Kreuzwieser, J. F., 01.10.2019, In: Environmental and Experimental Botany. 166, 103819.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Genetic toxicology in silico protocol

    Hasselgren, C., Ahlberg, E., Akahori, Y., Amberg, A., Anger, L. T., Atienzar, F., Auerbach, S., Beilke, L., Bellion, P., Benigni, R., Bercu, J., Booth, E. D., Bower, D., Brigo, A., Cammerer, Z., Cronin, M. T. D., Crooks, I., Cross, K. P., Custer, L., Dobo, K., Doktorova, T., Faulkner, D., Ford, K. A., Fortin, M. C., Frericks, M., Gad-McDonald, S. E., Gellatly, N., Gerets, H., Gervais, V., Glowienke, S., Van Gompel, J., Harvey, J. S., Hillegass, J., Honma, M., Hsieh, J. H., Hsu, C. W., Barton-Maclaren, T. S., Johnson, C., Jolly, R., Jones, D., Kemper, R., Kenyon, M. O., Kruhlak, N. L., Kulkarni, S. A., Kümmerer, K., Leavitt, P., Masten, S., Miller, S., Moudgal, C., Muster, W., Paulino, A., Lo Piparo, E., Powley, M., Quigley, D. P., Reddy, M. V., Richarz, A. N., Schilter, B., Snyder, R. D., Stavitskaya, L., Stidl, R., Szabo, D. T., Teasdale, A., Tice, R. R., Trejo-Martin, A., Vuorinen, A., Wall, B. A., Watts, P., White, A. T., Wichard, J., Witt, K. L., Woolley, A., Woolley, D., Zwickl, C. & Myatt, G. J., 01.10.2019, In: Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. 107, 104403, 21 p., 104403.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Healthy eating and sustainable nutrition through mindfulness? Mixed method results of a controlled intervention study

    Stanszus, L. S., Frank, P. & Geiger, S. M., 01.10.2019, In: Appetite. 141, 104325.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    How does sustainability become professionally relevant? Exploring the role of sustainability conceptions in first year students

    Sundermann, A. & Fischer, D., 01.10.2019, In: Sustainability. 11, 19, 22 p., 5155.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Reversible formation of alcohol solvates and their potential use for heat storage

    Korhammer, K., Mihály, J., Bálint, S., Trif, L., Vass, Á., Tompos, A. & Tálas, E., 01.10.2019, In: Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry. 138, 1, p. 11-33 23 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Substrate preference determines macrofungal biogeography in the greater Mekong Sub-Region

    Ye, L., Li, H., Mortimer, P. E., Xu, J., Gui, H., Karunarathna, S. C., Kumar, A., Hyde, K. D. & Shi, L., 01.10.2019, In: Forests. 10, 10, 14 p., 824.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Techno-economic assessment of non-sterile batch and continuous production of lactic acid from food waste

    Peinemann, J., Demichelis, F., Fiore, S. & Pleissner, D., 01.10.2019, In: Bioresource Technology. 289, 121631.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    The German Version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10): Evaluation of Dimensionality, Validity, and Measurement Invariance With Exploratory and Confirmatory Bifactor Modeling

    Reis, D., Lehr, D., Heber, E. & Ebert, D. D., 01.10.2019, In: Assessment (ASM). 26, 7, p. 1246-1259 14 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    The role of business models for sustainable consumption: A pattern approach

    Lüdeke-Freund, F., Froese, T. & Schaltegger, S., 01.10.2019, A Research Agenda for Sustainable Consumption Governance. Mont, O. (ed.). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, p. 86-104 19 p. (Elgar research agendas).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapterpeer-review

  11. Published

    Tree-species interactions increase light absorption and growth in Chinese subtropical mixed-species plantations

    Forrester, D. I., Rodenfels, P., Haase, J., Härdtle, W., Leppert, K. N., Niklaus, P. A., Oheimb, G., Scherer-Lorenzen, M. & Bauhus, J., 01.10.2019, In: Oecologia. 191, 2, p. 421-432 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review