Christine Polzin

Dr. Christine Polzin is a Senior Researcher at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig, Germany, working in the Department of Environmental Politics. Her research focuses on sustainability transformations, behavioral environmental governance, biodiversity and trade, and bio-based negative emissions technologies. She earned her PhD (Dr. rer. pol.) from the Research Center for Sustainability Studies at the University of Bremen between 2022-2024.

• PhD (Dr. rer. pol.) in Sustainability Studies, University of Bremen (2022-2024)
• M.Phil. in Development Studies, University of Oxford (2005-2007)
• German French Double-Diploma Programme in International Business Studies and Economics, European University Viadrina & Reims Management School (2000-2004)

Dr. Polzin's research examines how societies can transition toward sustainability through governance innovations, policy instruments, and sociotechnical transformations. Her work spans multiple disciplines including environmental politics, political economy, and sustainability science. She investigates the interplay between policy visions, institutional change, and practical implementation of sustainability transitions, with particular attention to agricultural systems, biodiversity governance, and behavioral aspects of environmental decision-making.

Analysis of her publications reveals consistent focus on sociotechnical transformations toward sustainability, with recent work examining visions in sustainability transformations, governance frameworks, and the psychological dimensions of environmental action. Her research spans theoretical frameworks like the capability approach while maintaining strong connections to practical policy applications and real-world sustainability challenges.

Dr. Polzin currently leads the BioNET project on Multi-level Assessment of Bio-based Negative Emission Technologies and the PEER Project on establishing a policy-relevant research agenda on biodiversity and trade. Her previous projects include GLAMURS (Green Lifestyles, Alternative Models and Upscaling Regional Sustainability), VOODOO (Viral eco-evolutionary dynamics of wild and domestic pollinators), and Governance of Sociotechnical Transformations (GoST).

She has been affiliated with the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research since 2014, following research positions at SERI in Vienna (2008-2013) and the University of Oxford (2007-2008). Her work demonstrates strong interdisciplinary connections between environmental science, political economy, and sustainability transitions research.