Sustainability Transformation

This programme area addresses the governance of energy transitions.

Published 28. Feb. 2023. Updated on 25. Mar. 2024

Foto ovenfra av en skog fullt av grønne trær.

We work with a broad range of environmental social science methods and concepts, and study sectors like resource extraction, energy generation, electricity distribution, urban transport, and energy flexibility, at multiple scales in many parts of the world. We are closely linked to the Master in Energy, Environment and Society, and part of the Empowered Futures PhD School.

The Sustainability Transformation programme area at the Faculty of Social Sciences at University of Stavanger hosts a project portfolio of over €10 million with a range of partner institutions in Norway and abroad. We study and engage in the governance of energy transitions, contributing cutting-edge research in the environmental social sciences. We are closely linked to the Master in Energy, Environment and Society anchored at the Department of Media and Social Sciences, and are a founding core partner of the Empowered Futures PhD School funded by the Research Council of Norway until 2030.

Our research engages with questions of justice, inclusion and equity in relation to societal shifts to low-carbon systems. We are broadly interested in how energy systems are governed, and employ a variety of ethnographic and mixed methods to study decision-making. We engage with interdisciplinary social science concepts related to institutions, socio-technical transitions, temporality, change, and more. Our funders include the European Commission through Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020, the Research Council of Norway, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, JPI Climate, Innovation Norway, Nordplus, UH-Nett Vest, and the Peder Sather Centre at UC-Berkeley, in addition to core funding.

Siddharth Sareen, Professor in Energy and Environment, leads the programme area, and several faculty members, postdocs, PhDs and research assistants engage in a range of activities. Local events include seminars featuring guest researchers, public-facing workshops, capacity-building retreats, and informal meetings. Several Master students conduct theses within the theme of the programme area each year, and our members teach on a range of relevant courses. We also have numerous external members beyond University of Stavanger, who cooperate as formal project partners or serve as advisors and long-term thematic collaborators. We are centrally focused on UiS' green transition 2030 mission. Please contact siddharth.sareen@uis.no to discuss shared interests or activities related to our ongoing research on the governance of energy transitions.

Here you can see an overview of our project portfolio - we also update this website with news about public events. We have previously welcomed guests like Matthew Huber, Laura Watts, Jens Kandt, Alevgul Sorman, Ryan Stock, Jenny Pickerill, Dan Kammen and Mariela Limerutti, and in 2023 are looking forward to visits by inter alia Nik Janos, Tim Schwanen, Saurabh Biswas, Nathalie Ortar, Aleksandra Lis, Timothy Moss, and more.