Since spring 2005, the Wuppertal Institute has operated a systematic programme to promote doctoral theses. Jointly with cooperating national and international universities - for example Aachen, Berlin, Bochum, Bonn, Bremen, Cambridge, Darmstadt, Dortmund, Dresden, Duisburg-Essen, Flensburg, Greifswald, Jena, Kassel, Köln, Leipzig, London, Lüneburg, München, Münster, Newhampshire, Oldenburg, Osnabrück, Saarland and Wuppertal - the Wuppertal Institute aims to raise its academic reputation by promoting young academics in dissertation projects and by strengthening the disciplinary basis of its transdisciplinary work. University lecturers supervise the research work. The doctoral examination procedure is undertaken at cooperating universities.

Dissertation projects at the Wuppertal Institute address selected topics of application-oriented sustainability research in the context of the research groups and cross-cutting subjects. PhD students receive one-on-one tutoring by experienced Institute staff. Wherever possible, dissertation projects are developed in connection with current third-party funded projects.

Furthermore, the Wuppertal Institute has set up dissertation colloquia where postgraduate students can discuss interim findings and problems they encounter in their work:

• Sustainable Energy Supplies, chaired by Prof. Manfred Fischedick
• Methods of Application-Oriented Sustainability Research, chaired by Prof. Oscar Reutter
• Sustainable Urban Development, chaired by Prof. Oscar Reutter

The Wuppertal Institute thus offers postgraduate researchers an interesting interdisciplinary working environment with more than 70 researchers as well as a systematic supervision and encouragement.

Dissertations at the Wuppertal Institute are financed partly by PhD students themselves, partly by funds from the Institute's third party projects and partly from outside, by third-party PhD scholarships. In this process the Wuppertal Institute cooperates with foundations that have set themselves the task of promoting young academics.

The following foundations have funded PhD projects at the Wuppertal Institute:

• Vera und Georg Spahn Foundation
• Stemmler Foundation
• Hans Böckler Foundation
• Friedrich Ebert Foundation
• Heinrich Böll Foundation
• German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU)
• German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
• Bergische University of Wuppertal
• The Friends of the Wuppertal Institute
• German Agency for Technical Cooperation
• German National Merit Foundation
• Reiner Lemoine Foundation

In order to take part in the dissertation programme of the Wuppetal Institute the following three requirements for the planned dissertation project need to be fulfilled:

1. The topic needs to correspond to the research agenda of the Institute and also to one of the working areas of one of the research groups.

2. A university professor has to be willing to supervise the dissertation and also to conduct the university dissertation procedure. The Wuppertal Institute does not have the right to award a PhD degree on its own but cooperates with different universities.

3. An external funding, e.g. a scholarship is necessary; the Wuppertal Institute provides the required infrastructure and supervision. It does not have the financial resources to fund its graduates.

Are you interested in the WI PhD programme?

Please hand in a first concept of your dissertation idea on max. one page in addition to your curriculum vitae to the Wuppertal Institute (Contact Person: Prof. Dr. Oscar Reutter). We will check your documents and the fit of your idea with our current research work. If we are interested in your dissertation project we gladly advise you to find the right university. In addition we offer to help you to apply for an external scholarship.

We are looking forward to receive your ideas.

Successfully completed acadamic qualification procedure (04/2004 - 11/2010)

Dissertations

• Matthias Kölbel in April 2004 at Universität Bielefeld. Dissertation: "Wissensmanagement in der Wissenschaft - Das deutsche Wissenschaftssystem und sein Beitrag zur Bewältigung gesellschaftlicher Herausforderungen".
• Philipp Schepelmann, Research Group "Material Flows and Resource Management" in May 2005 at Technische Universität Berlin. Dissertation: "Integration von Umwelt- und Ressourcenschutz in die EU-Regionalpolitik am Beispiel der Ziel-II-Regionen in NRW".
• Bettina Wittneben, Research Group "Energy, Transport and Climate Policy", in July 2005 at the University of Cambridge. Dissertation: "Institutional change in the transfer of climate-friendly Technologe".
• Christian Jungbluth, Research Group "Future Energy and Mobility Structures", in May 2006 at Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen. Dissertation: "Kraft-Wärme-Kopplung mit Brennstoffzellen in Wohngebäuden im zukünftigen Energiesystem".
• Stefan Thomas, Research Group "Energy, Transport and Climate Policy" in June 2006 at Freie Universität Berlin. Dissertation: "Aktivitäten der Energiewirtschaft zur Förderung der Energieeffizienz auf der Nachfrageseite in liberalisierten Strom- und Gasmärkten europäischer Saaten: Kriteriengestützter Vergleich der politischen Rahmenbedingungen".
• Michael Kopatz, Research Group "Energy, Transport and Climate Policy" in July 2006 at Universität Oldenburg. Dissertation: "Nachhaltigkeit und Verwaltungsmodernisierung. Eine theoretische und empirische Analyse am Beispiel nordrhein-westfälischer Kommunalverwaltungen".
• Anand Shukla, Research Group "Future Energy and Mobility Structures" in January 2007 at Universität Osnabrück. Dissertation: "Study of technological, economical and social aspects to energise off-grid regions through distributed generation in developing countries".
• Andrea Estrada, Research Group "Material Flows and Resource Management" in March 2007 at Technische Universität Dresden. Dissertation: "Resource efficiency strategies for developing countries: An analysis based on South America and its mining industry".
• Lena Partzsch in April 2007 at Freie Universität Berlin. Dissertation: "Global Governance in Partnerschaft : die EU-Initiative 'Water for Life'".
• Nikolaus Supersberger, Research Group " Future Energy and Mobility Structures " in July 2007 at Universität Osnabrück. Dissertation: "Szenarien eines diversifizizierten Energieangebots in OPEC-Staaten am Beispiel Irans - Strategien eines auf klimaschonenenden Energieträgern basierenden Umstiegs".
• Vanessa Grimm, Research Group "Future Energy and Mobility Structures" in July 2007 at Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Dissertation: "Einbindung von Speichern für erneuerbare Energien in die Kraftwerkseinsatzplanung: Einfluss auf die Strompreise der Spitzenlast".
• Stefan Lechtenböhmer, Research Group "Future Energy and Mobility Structures " in June 2008 at Universität Flensburg. Dissertation: "Zur Qualität nationaler Energie- und Emissionsprojektionen".
• Susanne Böhler, Research Group "Energy, Transport and Climate Policy" in July 2008 at Universität Dortmund. Dissertation: "Mobilitätsdienstleistungen als Baustein einer nachhaltigen Verkehrsplanung".
• Monika Dittrich, Research Group "Material Flows and Resource Management" in February 2009 at Universität Köln. Dissertation: "Ökologische Indikatoren des internationalen Handels - Vergleich und Deutungen physischer Handelsberechnungen".
• Julia Schultz, Büro Berlin, in March 2009 at Universität Greifswald. Dissertation: "Umwelt und Gerechtigkeit in Deutschland - ein Beitrag zu einer Systematisierung und ethischen Fundierung".
• Reinhild Bode, in April 2009 at Humboldt-Universität Berlin. Dissertation: "Armut lindern durch Gourmetkaffee? Upgrading von Kleinbauern in Gourmetkaffeemärkte am Beispiel von Kolumbien und Ekuador".
• Daniel Vallentin, Research Group "Future Energy and Mobility Structures" in June 2009 at Freien Universität Berlin. Dissertation: "Coal-to-Liquids (CtL): Driving Forces and Barriers - Synergies and Conflicts from an Energy and Climate Policy Perspective".
• Rie Watanabe, Research Group "Energy, Transport and Climate Policy" in October 2009 at Freie Universität Berlin. Dissertation: "A Comparative Analysis on Climate Policy Development Process between Germany and Japan based on the ACF".
• Justus von Geibler, Research Group "Sustainable Production and Consumption" in February 2010 at Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Dissertation: Wirkungen und Erfolgsfaktoren nicht-staatlicher Steuerung in globalen Wertschöpfungsketten: Nachhaltigkeitsstandards als Steuerungsmodell im internationalen Biomassehandel".
• Ulrike Tolkmitt, Research Group "Energy, Transport and Climate Policy" in Juny 2010 at Leuphana Universität Lüneburg. Dissertation: "Instrumente zur aktiven Verbreitung umweltbezogener Informationen".
• Mark Starmanns, in July 2010 at Universität Köln. Dissertation: "The grand illusion? Corporate social responsibility in global garment production networks".
• Clara Padro Martinez, Research Group "Energy, Transport and Climate Policy" in September 2010 at Bergische Universität Wuppertal. Dissertation: "Analysis of energy efficiency development at different aggregation levels in the manufacturing industries (Germany and Colombia as case studies)".
• Mathias Onischka, Research Group "Sustainable Production and Consumption" in November 2010 at Universität Leipzig.Dissertation: "Umwelt- und Ressourcenschutz als Kriterium in der öffentlichen Verwaltung".

Habilitations

• Dr. habil. Stefan Bringezu (Research Group "Material Flows and Resource Management"); habilitation treatise "Stoffflussanalysen für eine nachhaltige Raumentwicklung. Instrumente zur Erfassung und Bewertung der intra- und transregionalen Ressourcennutzung". Habilitation in June 1999 at Technische Universität Berlin.
Prof. Dr. Raimund Bleischwitz (Research Group " Material Flows and Resource Management "); habilitation treatise: "Gemeinschaftsgüter durch Wissen generierende Institutionen - Ein evolutorischer Ansatz für die Wirtschaftspolitik". Habilitation in May 2005 at Universität Kassel.
• PD Dr. Uta von Winterfeld (Research Group "Future Energy and Mobility Structures"); habilitation treatise: "Naturpatriarchen - Geburt und Dilemma der Naturbeherrschung bei geistigen Vätern der Neuzeit". Habilitation in February 2006 at Freie Universität Berlin.
• PD Dr. Kora Kristof (Research Group "Sustainable Production and Consumption"); habilitation treatise: "Models of Change: Einführung und Verbreitung sozialer Innovationen und gesellschaftlicher Veränderungen in transdisziplinärer Perspektive". Habilitation 2009 at Universität Flensburg.