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Research & Working Groups

ZIN researchers work in various research groups, working groups, and networks on a wide range of sustainability-related topics. Here you will find an overview of these collaborations and their research focuses.

  • Working Group on Collective and Sustainability Research

    The aim of the Working Group on Collective and Sustainability Research at the Institute of Sociology at the University of Münster is to concentrate and further expand already existing research and teaching activities, with a focus on collective and socio-ecological socialisation research and urban and regional research. 

    • Key words: Sustainability research, socio-ecological socialisation research, urban and regional research, collective research
    • Members from ZIN: Prof. Dr. Matthias Grundmann; Dr. Björn Wendt; Niklas Haarbusch, M.A.; Jessica Hoffmann, M.A.; Carsten Ohlrogge, M.A.
    • Link to the Working Group.

  • ESD Network Münster

    The network brings together educational actors who provide education in the spirit of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for school-based and extracurricular educational institutions in Münster. Currently, 17 educational actors collaborate within the Münster ESD Network, offering over 170 different programs.

    • Key words: ESD, extracurricular educational offers, Münster 
    • Network member from ZIN: Dr. Dörthe Masemann
    • Link to the network.

  • Research group “The future smart town”

    The DFG research group “Digitale Mittelstadt der Zukunft” is analyzing and promoting medium-sized towns in the digital age, looking at four key aspects - civil society and social services, administration and politics, economy and energy, and education and culture - to develop digital tools that strengthen local identity, promote urban 

    • Key Words: Digital medium-sized town, smart city, quality of life, liveability of medium-sized towns
    • Duration: 2023 – 2026
    • Project members from ZIN: Prof. Dr. Tobias Brandt; Prof. Dr. Matthias Grundmann; Jessica Hoffmann, M.A.
    • Link to the research group.

  • Related in the face of God. The human-animal relationship from an interreligious perspective

    The network examines the theological, ethical, and ontological dimensions of human-animal relationships from an interreligious perspective, bringing together 13 theologians from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions to contribute to religious animal ethics in the context of sustainable transformation.

    • Key words: Animal ethics, environmental ethics, human–animal relations, interdisciplinarity
    • Duration: 2025 – 2028
    • Members from ZIN: Prof Dr. Asmaa El Maaroufi (project lead); Dr. Cornelia Mügge (project lead); Prof. Dr. Anne Käfer
    • Link to the network.

  • WildDrone

    WildDrone is an international training network with partners from across Europe, Africa and the U.S. that aims at revolutionizing wildlife conservation practices by using autonomous drone technology.

    • Key words: Wildlife conservation, autonomous drone technology, AI for sustainability, natural habitat reconstruction, animal behaviour
    • Duration: 2023 – 2026
    • Project member from ZIN: Prof. Dr. Benjamin Risse
    • Link to the network.

  • Former Research and Working Groups

    Governance for a European Energy Union

    The interdisciplinary working group, involving political, economic and legal scientists, is part of the initiative “Energy Systems of the Future” (ESYS) and supported by acatech (German Academy of Science), the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Union of German Academies of Sciences. It aims to provide impetus for the debate on the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition in Germany.

    Trans Sustain

    Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) have evolved into key transnational governance instruments to bind international markets to fundamental principles of sustainable development. As they continue to extend their influence in international markets scholars become increasingly interested in studying the efficacy of VSS. The research group TRANSSUSTAIN focuses on the efficacy of VSS in global coffee value chains. The main research question is to what extent VSS are capable of turning global coffee production into a more sustainable industry.