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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
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Wissenschaft
Potsdam, 1 February 2016. Ortwin Renn, Professor of Environmental Sociology and Technology Assessment at the University of Stuttgart, takes office as Scientific Director at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam today. Renn has played an important role in sustainability policy for many years, not least as a member of the German Government’s Ethics Committee on Future Energy Supply (2011), Chair of the Baden-Wuerttemberg Advisory Board on Sustainability (2006–2012), and member of the Expert Group on Sustainability at the Federal Chancellery (2011–2012). He was also a member of EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso’s Science and Technology Advisory Council.
In his new position, Renn wants above all to focus on the systemic risks that threaten the environment, the economy and society, and work together with policymakers, industry and civil society groups to find better forms of risk governance in keeping with sustainable development. As he himself put it, “Establishing the IASS as a global reference centre and platform for inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability studies is one of my main goals.” He is particularly keen to expand the institute’s international cooperation with other research institutes to gain a better understanding of global developments and shape those developments by making knowledge-based recommendations to policymakers, industry and civil society. In the process – and very much in keeping with IASS tradition – Renn intends to devote much of his time and energy to the theme of a sustainable national and international energy supply.
With reference to his new appointment, the new director said: “It’s both a pleasure and a challenge to follow in Klaus Töpfer’s footsteps and contribute to the sustainable development of the economy and society based on solid scientific research and in dialogue with all societal groups.” Renn expressed his particular gratitude to the founding director of the IASS and former German environment minister Klaus Töpfer, who retired last year after more than six years as executive director of the institute: “Like nobody else, Klaus Töpfer was able to communicate scientific insights effectively to politicians and society at large. He underlined the necessity of putting society on a path to a sustainable future in a convincing and authentic way. He left his unmistakable mark on the IASS and brought the institute international renown. I am very honoured and inspired to continue this legacy.
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New Impetuses for the IASS
Mark G. Lawrence, IASS Managing Scientific Director, warmly welcomed Renn as a new member of the Board of Directors: “I’m looking forward to collaborating with Ortwin Renn. His expertise in the social sciences and experience in analysing and shaping the Energiewende complement our research and can open up new avenues to questions of systemic risks. That’s an excellent point of departure for the development of the institute in the coming years.” Lawrence also expressed his gratitude to founding director Töpfer and the previous scientific director and Nobel Laureate Carlo Rubbia, whose period in office came to an end in May 2015. Together with the University of Potsdam, the IASS has offered the third directorship to Patrizia Nanz, Head of the Research Area on “Culture of Participation” at the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities Essen (KWI). Once the negotiations for her appointment have been settled, she will complete the Board of Directors.
Impressive academic career
Prior to his appointment to the IASS, Renn was Professor of Environmental Sociology and Technology Assessment and Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Stuttgart. At the same time, he headed the Centre for Interdisciplinary Risk and Innovation Research (ZIRIUS) attached to the university as well as the DIALOGIK research institute, a non-profit company engaged in researching and testing innovative communications and participation strategies in planning and conflict resolution processes. Parallel to this, he was awarded honorary professorships in Stavanger, Beijing und Munich. Renn studied economics, sociology and social psychology before gaining his doctorate at the University of Cologne. He has worked as a researcher and university teacher in Germany, the United States and Switzerland.
He is the recipient of various awards, including the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1st class), an honorary doctorate at the ETH Zurich, an honorary professorship at Munich’s Technical University, and the Distinguished Achievement Award of the International Society for Risk Analysis. Renn is a member of the Governance Board of the German National Academy of Science and Engineering (Acatech) and the Council of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (BBAW). He also serves on many different academic committees, advisory boards and commissions. His main research areas are: risk analysis (governance, perception and communication), the theory and application of citizen participation in public projects, and transformation processes towards sustainable development. His publications include over 30 monographs and edited volumes as well as more than 250 scientific articles. The book Risk Governance (Earthscan: London, 2008) is his most prominent monograph.
The IASS – A Beacon of International Sustainability Research
Founded in Potsdam in 2009, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) is a hybrid between a transdisciplinary think tank and a research institute with a wide network of partners across the globe. With its cutting-edge research, the publicly funded institute aims to illuminate development paths for the global transformation to a sustainable society and foster dialogue among researchers, policymakers and civil society actors in an interactive way. IASS researchers investigate global sustainability policies, innovative technologies for a future energy supply, the sustainable use of resources such as oceans, soils, and raw materials, and the challenges facing our Earth system such as climate change and air pollution.
Press contact:
Corina Weber | +49 331 28822 340 | corina.weber@iass-potsdam.de
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