The Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ

As an international competence centre for the environmental sciences, the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) investigates the complex interactions between mankind and nature under the influence of global change. In close cooperation with decision-makers and stakeholders, scientists at the UFZ develop system solutions to improve the management of complex environmental systems and to tackle environmental issues. The Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ was established in 1991 and has more than 1,100 employees in Leipzig, Halle/S. and Magdeburg.

Helmholtz – Zentrum für Umweltforschung GmbH – UFZ
Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
Phone: +49 3412351656
Mail: Website: www.ufz.de

 

 

Felix Rauschmayer Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Germany

WP5 Leader

Felix Rauschmayer leads the thematic group on sustainability transitions in the Department of Environmental Politics at the UFZ, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research. To his background in Ecological Economics he has added some knowledge in Philosophy, Political Sciences, Psychology, and about the Capability Approach while working on multi-criteria decision aid, participation, and governance in the fields of nature protection, energy production, and further sustainability issues. Currently, his main focus of interest is on integrating personal development within sustainability transitions in an inter- and transdisciplinary way – including conceptual, empirical, and governance issues, e.g. “In collective settings, how is it possible to induce value changes that lead to an increase in sustainability and life quality?” His latest publications include two edited books: “Sustainable Development: Capabilities, Needs, and Well-being” (2011, with Ines Omann) and “The Capability Approach and Sustainability” (2013).

Ines Thronicker Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Germany

Ines Thronicker is a psychologist specialized in intervention and evaluation research. Her work is primarily concerned with the theoretical basis and empirical evidence in terms of individual behavior change and potentially relevant intrapersonal and extrapersonal factors. During her studies of psychology in Dresden, Stockholm, and Helsinki, she focused on different aspects of traffic and transport psychology, such as travel mode choice and spatial orientation, but also on consulting and marketing in terms of travel behavior change. Her research at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research included an experimental field study on an intervention to change the mobility behavior of new residents. Hereby, her research interests shifted from traffic psychology to environmental psychology, drawn by questions on how to support behavior change in a broad scope towards a more sustainable lifestyle. Ines Thronicker is member of the devision of Environmental Psychology in the German Association of Psychology.

Christine Polzin Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Germany

Christine Polzin has an educational background in Economics (European University Viadrina and Reims Management School) and Development Studies (University of Oxford). She has several years of work experience in managing and working on research and policy consulting projects for a range of European and international organisations. Before joining UFZ in 2014 Christine worked for the Sustainable Europe Research Institute (SERI) on global resource use and on transition requirements for a sustainable economy, as well as for the University of Oxford on the impact of information and communication technologies in rural India. At UFZ she supports the GLAMURS project and aims to conduct doctoral research on the role of individual mindfulness in sustainability transitions.

Torsten Masson Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Germany

Torsten Masson was trained in Economics and Business Management and currently pursues a PhD in Social Psychology. Before joining the department for environmental politics at the UFZ in 2010, he worked in international development projects in Eastern Europe and Central Asia for several years. At the UFZ, Torsten has worked on sustainable development and the capability approach, sustainability indicators and community-based energy initiatives. His main research interests include social identity and pro-environmental behaviour, sustainable lifestyles, sustainability indicators.

Ines Omann Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Germany

Ines Omann was born in 1972. She holds a Masters in Environmental Systems Sciences and Economics from the Universities Graz (Austria) and Lund (Sweden) as well as a PhD in Ecological Economics from the Universities of Graz and of Leeds (UK). She was a research fellow at the Institute of Technology and Regional Policy, Joanneum Research, Graz, Austria (1997-1998), a research fellow at Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, Energy in Germany (1999). Since 1998 she is teaching macro-economics, ecological economics, and sustainable development at different universities. From 2004 to 2013 she worked as senior researcher and since 2008 as leader of the research group “integrated strategies and quality of life research” at the Sustainable Europe Research Institute in Vienna. Main research areas: sustainability transitions, participation, scenario development, quality of life and well-being, lifestyles.

Mirijam Mock Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Germany

Mirijam Mock was trained in Development Studies and Sociology at the University of Vienna and joined the Department of Environmental Politics at UFZ in 2014. Her research interests focus on transition processes and social innovation in the field of sustainable development and she works in GLAMURS mainly in work package 4 and 5 in the Austrian Case Study. Before working for the UFZ, Mirijam supported the Sustainable Europe Research Institute (SERI) as research assistant in the group “Quality of Life and Integrated Strategies”. She was involved in several national and international research projects as the FP7 funded project “InContext – Individuals InContext” researching supportive environments for sustainable living.