Prof. Dr. Arnim Wiek
Prof. Dr. Arnim Wiek is the chair of the Humboldt-Professorship of a Sustainable Food Economy at the Institute of Economics at the University of Freiburg. He is also Co-Director of the Transformational Sustainability Science Group. Before that, he was a professor at the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University, US, and has been a guest professor at Leuphana University Lüneburg, Utrecht University, NL, and University of Freiburg. His research focuses on co-creating sustainable solutions for local food businesses and companies in close collaboration with entrepreneurs, government agencies, NGOs and other stakeholders.
Prof. Dr. Wiek is the Co-Director of the group, contributing methodological research and publications for solutions-oriented and transdisciplinary sustainability science and education. He guides the research program of the group.
- Ph.D., Department of Environmental Sciences, ETH Zurich (CH), 2005
- M.Sc., Environmental Sciences, University of Jena (DE); ETH Zurich (CH), 2002
- M.A., Philosophy, University of Bonn and Free University of Berlin (DE), 1998
- Professor, Institut für Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Universität Freiburg (DEU), ab 2022
- Gast-Professor, Universität Freiburg (DEU), ab 2021
- Professor, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University (USA), ab 2019
- Gast-Professor, Universität Utrecht (NL), Frühling 2018
- Gast-Professor, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg (DEU), ab 2014
- Associate Professor, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University (USA), 2013-2019
- Gast-Professor, Universität Tokyo (JP), Sommer 2009
- Assistant Professor, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University (USA), 2013-2018
- Gast-Wissenschaftler, University of British Columbia (KA), 2007-2008
- Senior Researcher und Kursleiter, ETH Zürich (CH), 2005-2007
On Transformational Sustainability Science Integrated Methodology and its steps
- Lang, D.J., & Wiek, A. (2022). Structuring and advancing solution-oriented research for sustainability. Ambio, vol. 51, No. 1, 31–35.
- Wiek, A., Ness, B., Schweizer-Ries, P., Brand, F. S., & Farioli, F. (2012). From complex systems analysis to transformational change: A comparative appraisal of sustainability science projects. Sustainability Science, 7(S1), 5–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-011-0148-y
- Wiek, A., Foley, R. W., & Guston, D. H. (2012). Nanotechnology for sustainability: what does nanotechnology offer to address complex sustainability problems? Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 14(9). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-012-1093-0
- Wiek, A., & Iwaniec, D. (2014). Quality criteria for visions and visioning in sustainability science. Sustainability Science, 9(4), 497–512. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-013-0208-6
- Wiek, A., Kuzdas, C., & Foley, R. (2017). Sustainability assessments designed for multiple functions: five cases about water resources, nanotechnologies and communities. In R. B. Gibson (Ed.), Sustainability assessment applications and opportunities (pp. 141–159). Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group; Earthscan, from Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315754048-15
- Bernstein, M. J., Wiek, A., Brundiers, K., Pearson, K., Minowitz, A., Kay, B., & Golub, A. (2016). Mitigating urban sprawl effects: a collaborative tree and shade intervention in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. 1354-9839, 21(4), 414–431. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2014.965672
- Wiek, A., Foley, R. W., Guston, D. H., & Bernstein, M. J. (2016). Broken promises and breaking ground for responsible innovation – intervention research to transform business-as-usual in nanotechnology innovation. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 28(6), 639–650. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2015.1129399
- Wiek, A., Talwar, S., O’Shea, M. & Robinson, J. (2014). Toward a methodological scheme for capturing societal effects of participatory sustainability research, Research Evaluation, 23(2), 117–132, https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvt031
On Sustainability Education & Training
- Schröder, S., Wiek, A., Farny, S., & Luthardt, P. (2023). Toward holistic corporate sustainability—Developing employees’ action competence for sustainability in small and medium-sized enterprises through training. Business Strategy and the Environment, vol. 32, pp. 1650–1669.
- Wiek, A., & Redman, A. (2022). What do key competencies in sustainability offer and how to use them. In: Vare, P., Lausselet, N., & Rieckmann, M. (2022). Competences in Education for Sustainable Development – Critical Perspectives. New York, Berlin: Springer. pp. 27-34.
- Wiek, A., & Kay, B. (2015). Learning while transforming: solution-oriented learning for urban sustainability in Phoenix, Arizona. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 16, 29–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2015.07.001
- Redman, A., Wiek, A., & Barth, M. (2021). Current practice of assessing students’ sustainability competencies – a review of tools. Sustainability Science, 16, pp. 117-135.
- Weiss, M., Barth, M., Wiek, A., & von Wehrden, H. (2021). Drivers and barriers of implementing sustainability curricula in higher education – assumptions and evidence. Higher Education Studies, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 42-64.