Our Research
Research at our faculty is organized around one core question: How do societies change, and how can this change be shaped?
Our research work is structured across three interconnected science teams:
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Circular Economy (CE) focuses on the mechanisms of individual, business and institutional transitions needed to achieve a carbon-neutral society.
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Governance & Technology (GT) combines technological innovation with governance research on steering transitions toward equity and security.
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Sustainability & Wellbeing (SW) identifies what is changing in relation to climate crisis and biodiversity loss, and concrete solutions for health, wellbeing and social justice.
Together, these teams form an integrated, interdisciplinary research environment addressing the key dimensions of societal transitions, from environmental sustainability, and economic systems to technological developments, health, wellbeing, and governance.
Our research evolves in response to societal challenges and is developed in collaboration with businesses, local governments, NGOs and other knowledge institutes. By generating knowledge that is both analytical and actionable, we contribute to academic understanding while informing policy, practice, and innovation.
Matt Coler, Team Lead Governance & Technology
"From algorithmic decision-making to linguistic minorities and digital infrastructure, our team works at the intersection of technical change and democratic accountability. The question driving all of it is who gets to shape the future?"
Berfu Ünal, Team Lead Circular Economy
"Transitioning to a circular economy requires systemic and coordinated change across people, business, and institutions. Our research provides the knowledge base needed to understand, design, and accelerate these transitions."
Dr. Élise Rouméas, Team Lead Sustainability & Wellbeing
"The question is not only how to sustain the planet, but how to live well within it together. Our work studies and shapes transitions toward futures that are just, resilient, and shared across species."
Franzi Steinherr, PhD Candidate
"In the Circular Economy Science Team, we look at how societies can make the shift to a more sustainable and circular future happen. This is a systemic and social process, and we focus on behavioral, entrepreneurial, and institutional changes. We examine how everyday practices evolve, how companies redesign their business models with long-term impacts in mind, and how policy measures shape sustainable systems. My own research focuses on the behavior of farmers and examines how behavior change interventions can support the adoption of more sustainable and circular practices in agriculture."
Trevi Putri, PhD Candidate
"Technology is reshaping democracy, language, and the distribution of power across the globe. At our Department, we study these transformations and the broader questions they raise for governance, technology, and society. Our work is organised around three main research areas.
In political theory and governance, we examine structural justice, democratic participation, and the translation of human rights principles into AI and data regulation. In speech technology, we develop AI systems for under-resourced languages and marginalised communities, including Frisian speakers and individuals with speech pathologies. In digital ethics and governance, we evaluate AI accountability, meaningful human control, and content moderation on digital platforms.
Across all three areas, ethics and sustainability connect our work, helping ensure that our research remains accountable to the communities it seeks to serve."