Flor Avelino appointed Professor of Organizations and Sustainability

Dr. Flor Avelino has been appointed as Professor of Organizations and Sustainability at Utrecht University starting from 1 June. The chair is embedded in the Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development’s Innovation Sciences section at the Faculty of Geosciences. Avelino is specialised in the role of power in sustainability transitions. She is especially interested in the way social innovation and trans-local networks can contribute to just and sustainable change.

In 2005, Flor Avelino began working at Erasmus University Rotterdam’s Dutch Research Institute for Transitions (DRIFT), a prestigious research institute in the field of sustainability transitions. There, she studies the politics of sustainability transitions and social innovation. Since 2019, she has also been affiliated with the Erasmus School of Social & Behavioural Sciences (ESSB) as an Associate Professor and thematic coordinator for sustainable and fair cities as part of the Vital Cities & Citizens initiative.

Bridge builder

Avelino’s research will lie at the junction of the university’s strategic themes Pathways to Sustainability and Institutions for Open Societies. “With her excellent record and expertise in the field of sustainability transitions and social innovation, she will make a valuable contribution to the Copernicus Institute’s education and research, and she will build a bridge between the two strategic themes”, according to Wilco Hazeleger, Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences.

Sustainable development

The Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development studies processes and opportunities for innovative change towards sustainability. Within the institute, the Innovation Sciences section studies the dynamics of new technologies and innovations that may be important in addressing social challenges.