We wanted to get to know Dr. Sonja Knobbe, who has been Strategic Director of the International Center for Sustainable and Just Transformation [tra:ce] since July 1, better and asked her three questions.

What did you do before tra:ce?

I'm an economic philosopher by background. And when you take a critical look at economics, the topic of sustainability is naturally not far away. After all, economic, ecological and social challenges are closely intertwined. After completing my doctorate at the TU Dortmund University, I worked at the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities in Essen and the Ruhr University in Bochum in a transformative research group on the topics of participation and sustainable transformation. Most recently, I was responsible for these topics as a staff member of the mayor of the city of Gladbeck, this time on the side of local politics.

What appeals to you about tra:ce?

In all my professional stations, I have always brought people from science and practice together with a lot of passion for issues of socio-ecological transformation and worked together with them toward a more sustainable world. As a philosopher with a background in inclusive and dialogue-oriented participation, the relevance of equity issues in the sustainability discourse is particularly important to me.

The [tra:ce] addresses precisely these questions and challenges, which have been with me for many years. Furthermore, I already got to know Witten/Herdecke University as a place of innovative and sustainability-oriented research and teaching practice during my PhD phase and I am convinced that it is the perfect environment for an interdisciplinary institute for transformative work on questions of ecological and socially just change.

What do you do when you're not at the university?

Then I like to be outside at the lake or in the forest as much as on the sofa - both preferably in the company of my dog.