Research Institute for Sustainability Helmholtz Centre Potsdam

Valerie Voggenreiter

Valerie Voggenreiter

Research Associate

E-Mail

valerie [dot] voggenreiter [at] rifs-potsdam [dot] de

Valerie is part of the research group "TranS-Mind". The social scientist sees herself as a generalist and works on the question of how sustainability can be cultivated as a life-serving mindset for social-ecological transformation. Self-efficacy, reflection and courage to act are constant companions for her to transform deep-seated ways of thinking, feeling and acting together.

Valerie studied International Development at the University of Vienna and Global Change Management at the University for Sustainable Development (HNEE). In 2018, she initiated and co-created the project Silence Space, which sees itself as an analogue learning and experience space for (self-)reflection processes. She leads group processes in the tradition of Art-of-Hosting, among others. Furthermore, she has been supporting the HNEE in the Department of Forests and Environment since 2020, worked for environmental protection organisations and most recently for the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) in the specialist area I 1.1. Here she deepened her knowledge of the current transformation debate as well as approaches, methods and actors of transformative research.

  • 11/21 - 03/22 Research assistant in FG I 1.1 Fundamental Issues, Sustainability Strategies and Scenarios, Resource Conservation of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA): Development and establishment of transformation research; development of proposals for the integration of mindfulness concepts in transformative education and training programmes.
  • since 11/20 Academic assistant HNE Eberswalde. Development and coordination at the Department of Forest and Environment. Teaching assignment "Education for Sustainable Development" as part of the Forest Educators' Certificate.
  • 03/20 - 03/21 Project assistant in the joint project "Plan Birke - forsch voran! Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald Brandenburg e.V. (SDW).
  • 09/17 - 07/20 Global Change Management M.Sc.
  • 09/10 - 04/14 International Development B.A.

  • Transdisciplinarity
  • Transformative learning
  • Connections between awareness and sustainability
  • Co-creativity
  • Dialogue between Spirituality and Science
  • Human-nature relationship in the Anthropocene
  • Mindsets and sustainable lifestyles

  • Silence and its (self) transformative potentials. Integrating Silence Spaces in higher education: the case of the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development July 2020 DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.32503.24485 Thesis for: M.Sc. Advisor: Prof. Dr. Heike Walk, Dr. Thomas Bruhn