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The Chair of Sustainability and Transformation Research analyses transformation processes and strategies, especially towards a sustainable energy system, at the interface between academic and applied transformation research.

We invite applications for a 3-year PhD scholarship, with an evaluation after 1 year, 1300 Euros per month plus child allowance

Start date: as soon as possible

The following paper provides an overview of the work within which the PhD will be located: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357932858_The_third_phase_of_the_energy_transition

Requirements

• University degree in social sciences, economics or other energy related degrees, with above-average grades
• Knowledge of energy systems and energy policy
• Knowledge of transformation research
• Knowledge of mixed methods and practical experience with empirical research work are an asset, but no requirement
• Very good knowledge of written and spoken English

Application documents

• Letter of motivation (one page): Please sketch out how you would like to contribute to the research described in the above paper and state with which research methods you are familiar with.
• Curriculum vitae with presentation of previous academic work and supporting evidence for the above requirements
• Copies of certificates

For this scholarship, we are particularly pleased to receive applications from women. 

Please send your application in electronic form to:

Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources
Prof. Dr. Dierk Bauknecht  

dierk.bauknecht@sustainability-transitions.uni-freiburg.de

For further information, please contact Prof. Dr. Dierk Bauknecht. 

Sustainability transitions understood as the transformation of socio-technical systems to more sustainable ones occur in different phases: the emergence of new innovations, the acceleration of innovations , and the stabilisation of new regimes. Public policies play a central role in the guidance of transitions. Research on policy mixes in sustainability transitions has focused so far on the emergence, acceleration and diffusion of radical niches and has started to address the destabilisation of the existing regime. Comparatively little attention has been paid to the third phase, the building and stabilisation of the new regime. This process does not merely take place in the niche sphere, but asks for restructuring dynamics in the existing regime as well. It involves the institutionalisation of innovations, the alignment of old and new regime elements as well as an interaction between old and new regime actors. With the help of a literature review and building on theories of socio-technical transitions and policy mixes in such transitions, this paper explores the challenges that come along with the establishment of a new regime and what strategies could be pursued to tackle those challenges in order to guide transitions. Theoretical considerations are exemplified with current discussions in the energy transition.

The working paper was presented at the International Sustainability Transitions Conference 2021 and can be found here.

As transitions accelerate, they often increase in depth and scope. Transition dynamics may go
beyond changes in core technologies to include architectural change at the system level. In this
paper, we study actor preferences for system technologies that underpin different system
architectures. System technologies are important as they can affect the pace and direction of
transitions including system architecture. Our empirical case is the transition in the German
electricity system where actors disagree about how decentralised the system architecture should
become. In electricity, system technologies ensure stable supply by e.g. providing flexibility for
the integration of variable renewable energies. We find that many incumbents mainly prefer
established centralized system technologies but because these are difficult to expand, they
reluctantly accept a role for novel and immature decentralized system technologies. As for
challengers, there are important differences from incumbents in terms of when and to what
extent new system technologies are needed and how they should be supported. We make two
contributions to the literature: 1) we introduce system technology as a concept and use it to
illustrate tensions between the pace and direction of accelerating transitions, and 2) we show
how actor roles and positions become more fluid during acceleration.

The working paper can be found here.