Matthias Gross

Prof. Dr. habil. Matthias Gross is a Full Professor of Environmental Sociology at the University of Jena, with a joint appointment at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, where he leads the Department of Urban and Environmental Sociology. His work bridges sociology, environmental science, and technology studies.

• Education: PhD in Sociology (Bielefeld University, 2001); M.A. in Sociology (Bielefeld, 1998); Graduate studies in USA (1995-1996).

Research focuses on alternative energy systems, microplastics, ignorance studies, and science-technology-society interfaces. Key projects include the DFG-funded Harvesting Wind and Stealing Heat (2021-2024) and the REGREEN NBS Handbook (2024) on nature-based urban resilience. His recent work explores property chains in wind energy and UV weathering of plastics.

Current collaborations span the PFAS Competence Cluster and Microplastics Competence Cluster. He co-founded the journal Nature + Culture and serves on advisory boards for environmental sociological associations.