New Environmental and Sustainability Sciences Coordinators and Lecturers

I have for long been interested in human-environmental interactions and their complexity.  In my early twenties, an internship in an indigenous political organisation in Ecuador strongly spurred my interest in how industrialized countries exploit natural resources and how local societies were affected.

With the vision of a better understanding of societal development processes, I studied Socio-technical Systems in my home country, Sweden. This was a highly interdisciplinary civil engineering program, which emphasized the intersections between different fields, particularly between culture and technology. Following my interest in the exploitation of natural resources and human dependencies on nature, I added an environmental profile to my otherwise socio-technical degree.

The acquired skills in system modelling and my interest in human-environmental interactions brought me to do a PhD in Freiburg, focusing on biomass consumption, material flows and their environmental impacts. Thereby, my expertise grew in the field of environmental and sustainability sciences while the intersection with other fields remained a core part of my work: Both my PhD and later my postdoc research addressed topical political concepts such as “circular economy” and “bioeconomy”.

Having kept an eye on UCF for a while, I felt it was a natural choice to reach out to Sabine upon her announcement of parental leave. I enjoy working at the intersection of various fields and disciplines, both within and outside of environmental and sustainability science. And this fits perfectly with LAS.

For my PhD, I worked in a truly interdisciplinary team at the Chair of Societal Transition and Circular Economy. Half of the group were social scientists and the other half mainly worked with environmental impact assessments from a quantitative point of view. We all learnt a lot as we brought together our different perspectives and synthesized the results from our distinct research fields. My knowledge of constructivism, history of ideas and science and technology studies (STS) was helpful in understanding why and how societal discourses are relevant to the sustainability and development of a circular economy. I learnt how to do discourse analysis and together in the team we made some significant steps in synthesising circular economy research from the two fields, both conceptually and empirically. We even developed a tool to facilitate the emergence of potentially disruptive ideas in interdisciplinary settings.

Human needs, (in)justice and material abundance are the main motivations for me to study environmental and sustainability sciences. The focus on the interaction between human societies and the environment remains at the core of my research and interests. In my research, I take a socio-ecological systems perspective and contribute to the knowledge base for guiding societal transformation towards a safe and just economy; meeting human needs within ecological limits.

I like the famous quote by Gordon Wilson: “The world has problems, while universities have disciplines”. It really captures the essence of the LAS program. And in the context of environmental and sustainability challenges, interdisciplinary approaches are essential. I believe that in today’s turbulent times, society urgently needs individuals who can approach challenges from multiple perspectives, collaborate across disciplines, and recognize the importance of diverse expertise in collective problem solving. I strongly believe that adaptability, flexibility, critical thinking and collaborative skills will become increasingly important in the future. My impressions confirm that the LAS program fosters such skills. For this reason, I quickly felt at home in the LAS environment. I fully support its mission and appreciate the benefits it brings to both students and society as a whole.

I will offer a new course called “Environmental Footprint Accounting: Theory, Tools and Methods” were we apply a systems perspective on human-envirement interactions, drawing on socio- metabolic research. It’s a methods course were students will learn how to conduct minor footprint analyses. And we will definitely also explore how these approaches relate to a safe and just global economy. 

Additionally, I will contribute to one block of the introduction course where I will bring in the socio-ecological system perspective. This complements Maiara‘s expertise in ecology and earth system very well.

My journey to this position has been anything but linear—like many who are passionate about diverse subjects! What has always driven me, however, is my deep interest in nature conservation and natural resource management. I studied biology in Brazil at a university that is itself an important urban protected forest. Being surrounded by wildlife daily and attending outdoor classes reaffirmed my desire to work in ecology.

After earning my degree in biology, I pursued a master’s in entomology, driven by a growing fascination with insects and their many ecological functions. Despite my academic background, I was eager to gain hands-on experience in the non-profit sector, particularly in environmental activism. This led me to work for an NGO managing sustainable development projects in the Amazon rainforest, where I later implemented the institution’s Environmental Education Agenda. Working with communities deep in the forest was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that gave me a holistic understanding of the challenges and feasibility of sustainable solutions in such a complex ecosystem.

After these rewarding years in the rainforest, I wanted to return to academia while also fulfilling a long-standing goal of working in an international environment. I briefly worked on an environmental education project in Germany, collaborating with NGOs, and decided to pursue further studies there. Initially, I came as a guest researcher and later completed a master’s in environmental sciences at the University of Freiburg. During my studies, I started working at UCF as a teaching assistant and found that my interdisciplinary background aligned well with the LAS program. This eventually led me to take on the role of course coordinator.

Coming from highly hierarchical educational and work environments, I strive to implement the opposite in my role at LAS. Being part of such a diverse academic community, I believe that everyone has valuable knowledge to share. I encourage open discussions, independent thinking, and the creation of a safe space where all students feel comfortable contributing.

Academically, my expertise in ecological research allows me to provide students with practical examples and hands-on activities related to environmental assessment and data interpretation. Additionally, I bring perspectives from the Global South, particularly on nature conservation and the integration of traditional knowledge into sustainable development research.

My years of experience implementing sustainability projects in Amazonian communities showed me how essential it is to integrate conservation goals with human development. Empowering local actors is key to successfully implementing any sustainability strategy. These experiences shaped my understanding of sustainability as a deeply interdisciplinary and socially enclosed field.

I see LAS as an exemplary model of what a multidisciplinary bachelor’s program should be. Students have the freedom to shape their academic paths according to their diverse interests. As lecturers, we are fortunate to witness an ongoing flow of creativity, interdisciplinary thinking, and student-led initiatives. This dynamic approach is essential in tackling the complex challenges of the Anthropocene, where solutions require integrating multiple fields of knowledge.

I am very excited to teach this course, especially since Hanna and I have redesigned it to provide a comprehensive overview of key environmental themes within the context of societal transformations. We have structured the course around Earth, Ecological, and Socioecological systems, using real-world environmental challenges and the latest research to frame discussions.

Personally, I find this course particularly exciting because it allows us to engage in critical debates about pressing environmental issues while also exploring viable pathways for a sustainable future. It lays a strong foundation for students embarking on their studies in environmental sciences.