About Us

Founded in 2009, the STRN is the international network of scholars interested in sustainability transitions. The network has grown considerably since its inception and now numbers over 3000 scholars. It has also become increasingly diverse with respect to geography, methods, and themes.

Anyone who is interested or involved in research on sustainability transitions is welcome to join the network. What unites our community is a shared interest in studying and realizing sustainability transitions – major shifts in established industries, socio-technical systems, and societies toward more sustainable modes of production and consumption.

Supported by the voluntary efforts of transition scholars, our overarching mission is to advance the field of sustainability transitions. Four specific goals follow from this and orient the activities of the network.

Knowledge

Deepen understanding of sustainability transitions

Education

Foster intellectual and professional development

Exchange

Provide platforms for knowledge exchange

Outreach

Promote transition perspectives in policy and practice

Governance of the STRN is based on the following structural elements:

A Board, including a chair, which coordinates the network and has responsibility for core operational tasks
The Steering group, which elects the board members from its midst, gives strategic advice to the board members on the development of the network and fulfills a number of tasks
Working groups that coordinate strategic tasks in a temporary, project based fashion

Jochen Markard
ZHAW, Winterthur & ETH Zurich
Chair of STRN

Wouter Boon
Utrecht University, Utrecht

Katharina Schiller
Fraunhofer ISI, Karlsruhe

The steering group (SG) gives strategic advice to the board members on the development of the network. SG members are experienced transition scholars and / or those who play or want to play an active role in developing the STRN network further. The SG strives for representational diversity, e.g. in terms of gender, age, topics, research groups and region.