Annual Report 2025
Highlights from LUCSUS Annual Report 2025
Words from the Director
The past year has been both demanding and rewarding for LUCSUS. Embedded in a broader context of increasing political and societal instability and intensifying environmental challenges, academic organisations such as LUCSUS are increasingly expected to demonstrate their relevance and impact amid declining public trust and changing political priorities. Against this backdrop, my second year as Director has been a continued period of learning, adaptation, and commitment to the unique structure and values that define LUCSUS as an engaged, collaborative, and successful academic centre.
Research that Matters
LUCUS strive to generate theoretically innovative and empirically rigorous sustainability research to guide policy and practice to create meaningful social change. LUCSUS research tackles social and environmental challenges through five research themes.
LUCSUS Research Themes
• Climate Change & Resilience
• Land Use, Governance and Development
• Urban Governance and Transformation
• Energy Justice and Sustainability of Energy Systems
• Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management
LUCSUS Celebrated 25 Years!
In September, LUCSUS celebrated its 25th anniversary at Palaestra et Odeum in Lund. The event reflected on what has shaped LUCSUS and sustainability science over the years, and looked towards the future of research, education and impact for sustainability.
“25-year anniversary at Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies! An afternoon about the origins of sustainability research and education that brought Lund University to the top. More importantly, discussions about the options ahead for academia and humankind.”
– Erik Renström, Vice-Chancellor for Lund University
We welcomed our first students to our master in Climate Change and Society
2025 was the year LUCSUS launched its new international master’s programme: Climate Change and Society (LUCAS). 25 students started in the autumn, joining a cohort of 40 new LUMES students.
Read about some of the students' reflections on the new master programme
LUCSUS in Numbers 2025
30+ researchers and teachers
15 PhD students
120 international master’s students
50+ partner organisations and universities across the globe
1500+ alumni from more than 100 countries
50 ongoing research projects
81 publications in 2025
63+ MSEK in economic turnover in 2025
25 years of research and education
Vision
Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS) is an interdisciplinary research centre dedicated to understanding and explaining pressing sustainability challenges, while contributing to policy and practice to drive social change.
Mission
Research that matters: dare to care
"Our research activities remained strong throughout the year. In addition to the ongoing research projects at the centre, staff secured new project funding to support innovative research initiatives in an increasingly competitive funding environment," says Barry Ness, LUCSUS Director.
Core values
- Our environment is Open, Collaborative, and Caring
- Our perspectives are Bold, Creative, and Critical
- We strive to Bridge Boundaries, Illuminate Possibilities, and Catalyse Change
- We act with Care, Integrity, Hope