Graduations
Full Professor University of Utrecht (2014) Geography of Transitions in Urban Infrastructures.
Adj Professor University of Bern (2011) in Economic Geography
Habilitation University of Bern (2006) in Economic Geography and Sustainable Development.
Ph. D. University of Fribourg (Switzerland) 1993 in Economic Geography (Dr. rer nat) (“Neo-Ricardian land rent theory and urban land use dynamics”, summa cum laude).
M.Sc. University of Fribourg (Switzerland) 1987 in Human and Economic Geography (secondary degrees in Mathematics and Economics)
High. Teach. University of Fribourg (Switzerland) 1984 in Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Professional Experience
2014 - today Member of the Editorial Board (Advisory Editor) of the journal Research Policy
2014 - today Full professor University of Utrecht, Faculty of Geosciences
2012 – today Head of department ESS (Environmental Social Sciences) and leader of its research cluster Cirus (Environmental Innovation and sustainability Transitions) at Eawag
2011 – 2014 Adjunct professor in economic geography at the University of Bern.
2010-2011 Fellow in Sustainability Science, Kennedy School, Harvard University Cambridge, MA
2010 – 2011 Contributing author to IPCC WG III
2010 - today Founding editor of the journal Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions
2006 – 2012 Head of department Cirus (Innovation Research in Utility sectors) at Eawag, Dübendorf
2003 – 2013 Affiliated to Science Policy Group at the Social Science Resarch Centre (WZB), Berlin.
1996 – 2013 Affiliated to ETH Environmental Science Department (Lecturer)
2002 – 2010 Lecturer (Privatdozent) in Economic Geography at the University of Bern
2002 Guest Scientist at the Social Science Research Centre, Berlin (WZB) – Research Unit “Innovation and Organization” (Prof. Dierkes)
2001 Guest Scientist at the Society & Technology Research Group at DaimlerChrysler Co. in Berlin (Prof Minx)
2001 - 2005 Head of research group CIRUS at EAWAG, Kastanienbaum.
1997 - 2001 Initiator and head of the transdisciplinary research program "Greenhydro" at EAWAG.
1993 - 1996 Head of research group at the Human Ecology department, EAWAG, Dübendorf.
Awards and distinctions
2014 Best student paper award for a paper with Lea Fünfschilling at the 5th international conference on sustainability transitions in Utrecht, August 2014
2014 Nomination for the best paper award for a paper with Christian Binz at the 5th international conference on sustainability transitions in Utrecht, August 2014
2014 Nominated by the International Association of Management of Technology (IAMOT) as one of the top 50 authors of technology and innovation management over the last 5 years. (This is based on a quantitative analysis of research from 2008-2012).
2013 Best Paper award of the journal Regional Studies for Truffer, B., Coenen, L. 2012 Environmental innovation and sustainability transitions in regional studies. Regional Studies. 46 (2), 1-22.
2012 Winner of the Chris Freeman award 2012 for the Special issue in Research policy on sustainability transitions edited by Jochen Markard, Rob Raven and Bernhard Truffer. The Freeman award is made for a publication which is the most significant collective contribution to the interaction of science and technology studies with the study of innovation
2010 The Dutch KSI price for the “Outstanding paper in the field of Transitions and Innovation Systems“ for the paper Markard, J., Truffer, B. 2008. Technological innovation systems and the multi-level perspective: towards an integrated framework. Research Policy, 37, 596–615.
2008 The “Best Paper 2007 Award” of the Journal Environmental Modelling and Software in the category “Integrated Modelling”: Reichert, P., Borsuk, M., Hostmann, M., Schweizer, S., Spörri, C., Tockner, K., Truffer, B. 2007. Concepts of decision support for river rehabilitation. Environmental Modeling and Software, 22, 188 - 201.
2000. Winner of the Swiss Transdiciplinarity Award 2000 for “addressing a political hot spot in Switzerland with professional interdisciplinary research as well as a regard for political and economic realities and nescessities”. SFr 15’000.-
Research projects (Externally funded since 2010)
0915-0818: Sustainability transitions of sanitation regimes in urban Africa: Assessing the prospects for disruptive innovations. Project granted by the Swiss National Science foundation, SFr 180’000.-
0111 – 1215: EIS-- Strategic research alliance for Energy Innovation Systems and their dynamics. Denmark in global competition. External expert and project partner. SFr 50’000.-
0410-0313: Institutional analysis of technological innovation systems: Interaction and persistence of institutions in the case of biomass digestion technology. Submitted to SNF by 1st October 2008. (together with J. Markard). SFr 175’000.-.
0309 - 0212: Transition towards Sustainable Urban Water Management (TSUM): Conditions for the Emergence of Membrane Based Urban Water Management Regimes in China. Submitted to the Sino-Swiss cooperation program funded by the Swiss state secretariat for education and research (together with Prof. Yonglong Lu). Swiss part SFr 195’000.-
0109-1211: Organizational Capabilities and the Governance of Utilities: Implications for Effective. Public Service Provision, Long-term Viability of Infrastructure Networks, and Regulatory Design. Submitted to the SNF Research partnership with South Africa fund. conjointly with University of Cape Town (Prof. A. Eberhard) and Hagen Worch (Eawag). 0801 - 1210. SFr 335’000.-
0108 - 1210. CLIMPOL. Climate Policy Making for Enhanced Technological and Institutional Innovations. Project Proposal together with 12 professors of the ETH domain. Financed by Competence centre environment and sustainability, ETH Domain. PhD project, SFr 200’000.- (conjointly with Jochen Markard)
D. Editor and Reviewer Activity
Editorships
- Associate founding editor: Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions (Elsevier) launched 2010
- Advisory editor: Research Policy since 2014
- Member of the scientific advisory board of Environmental Development (Elsevier) launched in 2011.
- Member of the scientific advisory board of GAIA since 2011.
- Guest editor of a special issue on the Geography of Transitions, in EIST 2015
- Guest editor of a special section on the Challenges of TIS research, in EIST 2015
- Guest editor: Special Issue on Transitions Research in Research Policy (2012), Volume 41, Issue 6, Pages 955-1120
- Guest editor: Special Issue on Geography of Transitions in European Planning Studies, Vol 20, Issue 3, (2012)
Reviewer for international academic journals
California Management Review, Competition and Regulation in Network Industries, Ecological Economics, Economic Geography, Energy Policy, Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, Environmental Science and Technology, Environment & Planning A, Environment & Planning C, European Management Journal, GAIA, Geografiska Annaler, Geographica Helvetica, Geographische Zeitschrift, Geography Compass, Global Environmental Change, HKIE Transactions (Hong Kong Institute of Engineering), Industry and Innovation, International Journal for Hydrogen Energy, International Journal for sustainable development and world ecology, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Cleaner Production, Journal of Environmental Management, Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, Local Environment, Minerva, Mountain Research and Development, Organization Studies, PNAS, Progress in Human Geography, Regional Studies, Research Policy, Science and Public Policy, Science, Technology & Human Values, Socio-Economic Review, Sustainability Sciences, Technological and Economic Development of Economy, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Technovation, Transactions of British Geographers, Urban Studies, Water Research.
Scientific advisory boards of institutions
Member of the scientific advisory board of the ressearch institute Circle at Lund University, Sweden (since 2014)
Member of the jury of the Swiss Transdiciplinarity Award (since 2011)
Member of the scientific board of the Swiss transdisciplinary netwok TD-net (2009-2011).
Member of the steering group of the sustainable transitions research network (STRN) (since 2009).
Member of the jury board of the ReSource Award of SwissRe company. A 100’000 $ award for sustainable water management projects. (2004 - 2007).
E. Lectures and Courses (since 2010)
2014: Innovationssysteme und nachhaltige Sektortransformationen. (Economic Geography and sustainable sector transformations). Lecture at the geography department University of Berne. (2 hours per week in Fall semester). 3 ECTS
2013: Master seminar in Economic Geography. geography department University of Berne. (Spring semester). 5 ECTS
2012: Innovationssysteme und nachhaltige Sektortransformationen. (Economic Geography and sustainable sector transformations). Lecture at the geography department University of Bern. (2 hours per week in Fall semester 2012). 3 ECTS
2012: Transdisciplinary Seminar on Research for Sustainable Development (together with C. Pohl and M. Stauffacher). Seminar ETH Zürich, Department of Environmental Systems Science. Fall semester 2012, 3ECTS.
2011: Innovationssysteme und nachhaltige Sektortransformationen. (Economic Geography and sustainable sector transformations). Lecture at the geography department University of Bern. (2 hours per week in Fall semester 2011). 3 ECTS
2011: Transdisciplinary Seminar on Research for Sustainable Development (together with C. Pohl and M. Stauffacher). Seminar ETH Zürich, Department of Environmental Systems Science. Fall semester 2011, 3ECTS.
F. Dissertations (supervisor and member of assessment committee, since 2010)
Pauline Cherunya (ongoing): Sustainability transitions of Sanitation regimes in urban Africa: consumer practices. Funded by SNF, main supervisor.
Mara van Welie (ongoing): Sustainability transitions of Sanitation regimes in urban Africa: technological innovation systems. Funded by SNF, main supervisor
Lorenz Kammermann (ongoing). Fostering the acceptance of alternative electricity supply. PhD project at the political science institute of the University of Bern in the context of the NFP71. Co-supervisor.
Toon Meelen (ongoing). The Geography of User Involvement in Transitions towards Sustainability: The Case of Electric Vehicles. PhD project at the faculty of Geosciences, University of Utrecht. Started in September 2014. Co-supervisor.
Sven Eggimann (ongoing). Transition processes in space. Simulation of future hybrid centralized and decentralized urban infrastructures. ETH Zürich. Started in June 2013. Co-advisor.
Markus Seiwald (2015): Multi-level perspective on biogas in Austria. Institute of Geography. University of Salzburg. Co-referent.
Phuc Nguyen (2015). Utrecht University. Member of the assessment committee.
Magda Smink (2015). Utrecht University. Member of the assessment committee.
Helene Ahlborg (2015). Chalmers University. Member of the assessment committee
Björn Budde (2015). Utrecht University. Member of the assessment committee
Tobias Möller Ruby (2015) DTU, Copenhagen. Member of the assessment committee.
Anna Wieczorek (2014). University of Utrecht. Member of the assessment committee.
Lea Fünfschilling (2014): Sustainable Urban Water Management transitions in Australia. University of Basel. Graduation May 2014. Main supervisor.
Steffen Wirth (2014): Institutional dimension in technological innovation systems. The case of biogas. University of Klagenfurt. Graduation June 2014. Co-referent.
Eugenia Perez-Vico (2013). Chalmers University Gothenburg. Opponent at the doctoral defense.
Christian Vousvouras (2013): New business models of urban water management in emerging economies. University of St. Gallen. Co-referent.
Christian Binz (2012): Emerging industries for membrane bioreactor technologies in urban water management in China. Institute of geography, University of Bern. Main advisor.
Ulrich Dewald (2011): Innovationssysteme zwischen regionalen, nationalen und internationalen Einflusssphären: Entwicklung der deutschen Photovoltaikbranche . PhD project at the RWTH Aachen (Prof. M Fromholt-Eisebith). Co-referent.
Georg Holtz (2010): Transitions in water governance. Ph D project at the University Oldenburg (Prof. C. Pahl-Wostl). Co-Referent.