Prof. Dr. Jens Newig heads the research group and has been Professor of Governance and Sustainability at Leuphana University Lüneburg since 2010.
Clara-Sophie Baschant is a PhD researcher and member of the Governance, Participation and Sustainability research group since March 2025. Her research focuses on how sustainability transformations are impacted by external shocks, different governance actors, and social justice issues. She also works as a lecturer for the sustainability faculty.
Dr. Franca Angela Bülow is a postdoctoral researcher with the research group. She coordinates an interdisciplinary Lower Saxony project consortium on the sustainability governance of global value chains, and her research focuses on climate resilience, sustainability governance, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Samuel Gausi has been a PhD student with the Governance, Participation and Sustainability research group since April 2026. His research lies at the intersection of democratic innovations and sustainability governance in sub-Saharan Africa. He holds an MA in Development and Governance from the University of Duisburg-Essen.
Judith Gollata is a PhD student with the research group and a research associate at HafenCity University Hamburg. She holds a master’s degree in International Relations from King’s College London and researches local environmental governance and planning.
Jelto Makris has been a PhD researcher in the Governance, Participation and Sustainability group since April 2025. As part of the go-Chains project, he investigates how supply chain regulations impact sustainability in resource-based sectors.
Okka Lou Mathis is a PhD student with the research group and works at the Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik / German Development Institute (DIE) in Bonn. She holds a master’s degree in Development Studies (Uppsala) and investigates sustainability institutions and national climate performance.
Dr. Janosch Pfeffer is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Leuphana University and has been with the research group since 2021. He holds a Dr. rer. pol. from Leuphana and a master’s degree in Sustainable Development, Earth System Governance from the Utrecht University.
Dr. Michael Rose has been a researcher and lecturer with the research group since December 2018. He holds a Dr. phil. from the University of Düsseldorf and a diploma (equivalent to master’s degree) from the University of Bamberg, both in Political Science.
Meinfried Striegnitz, Dipl.-Phys., former president of the Lower Saxonian environmental state agency, is a senior PhD researcher with the research group. His work focusses on the area of mediation and conflict regulation.
Xinran Wang has been a PhD fellow in the PLUS-Change project and member of the research group Governance, Participation, and Sustainability at Leuphana University since November 2023.
