Climate change, sustainability, resource conservation and biodiversity - topics of the SusLand Doctoral Centre
The Sustainable Land Use Systems (SusLand) Doctoral Centre addresses the major issues and global challenges of our time:
How do we deal with natural resources? How do we secure ecosystem services and value chains? Can we manage the transformation into the post-fossil age?
In line with the research profile of HSWT, research at the Doctoral Centre contributes to the development of innovative solutions for resilient and sustainable land use systems while respecting planetary boundaries and sustainability goals.
Research areas of the SusLand doctoral centre
Biodiversity
Climate change
Bioeconomy
Applied life sciences with a focus on sustainable land use systems and a focus on biodiversity, climate change and bioeconomy are bundled in a systems science approach at the SusLand Doctoral Centre. Research focuses in particular on the pressing issues of biodiversity, climate adaptation, digitalisation, acceptance and participation.
Research topics
The Doctoral Centre addresses the following aspects of sustainable land use, such as:
- Sustainable Agriculture
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In SusLand, innovative practices for plant cultivation and animal husbandry are being developed in order to achieve food security while minimising the environmental impact in the face of a growing world population.
- Climate neutrality
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Innovative approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the sink capacity in the land use, land use change and forestry sector are being researched in SusLand.
- Effects of climate change
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Researchers in SusLand are developing, testing and evaluating measures to adapt agriculture, forest management and bioeconomy to extended growing seasons, droughts and heavy rainfall.
- Biodiversity
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SusLand explores how biodiversity loss can be addressed through innovative and integrative land use in the context of competing priorities between agriculture and forestry, urbanisation, and nature conservation.
- Conservation of natural resources
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The potential, value and vulnerability of natural resources and the associated ecosystem services, including trade-offs, are researched and assessed in SusLand.
- Digital technologies
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In SusLand, digital technologies are used to analyse and model ecosystems, landscapes and value chains to enable innovative solutions to complex challenges.
- Acceptance
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SusLand researches participatory approaches that increase the acceptance of land use changes and green transformation among various target groups.
Professors at HSWT with a strong research background contribute their expertise to the SusLand doctoral centre. This primarily extends to the biological, agricultural and forest sciences and covers a broad spectrum of methods and topics along the ecosystem - land use - food - bioeconomy value chain. The systems science paradigm represented here promotes close cooperation, for example in the form of supervision tandems and research alliances. On this basis, the professorial members are able to both supervise and assess doctoral projects.
Interested professors can apply for membership, provided they fulfil the requirements in accordance with §13 (2) AVBayHIG. The admission process is based on the regulations of the Doctoral Centre (PZO). For further information on requirements and the admission process, please contact the operational management of the Doctoral Centre.
Next deadline for applications for professorial membership: 27 March and 18 September 2026.
Doing a doctorate at the SusLand Doctoral Centre
The Doctoral Centre „Sustainable Land Use Systems“ enables talented early-career researchers to gain qualifications through practical research and teaching in the transdisciplinary environment of the University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf.
The doctoral degrees „Dr. rer. nat.“ and „Dr. agr.“ may be obtained
Prospective doctoral candidates can apply for admission to the PZ SusLand under the following conditions:
- Fulfilment of the admission requirements (Doctoral Degree Regulations §§ 6 - 8)
- Submission of all necessary documents (Doctoral Degree Regulations § 9)
- Doctoral project fits the subject area „Sustainable Land Use Systems“ with a focus on biodiversity, climate change or bioeconomy
Application deadlines for 2026:
- 1 March 2026
- 21 June 2026
- 1 November 2026
You will receive feedback on your application within approximately 4–6 weeks after the application deadline.
If your planned doctoral project does not fit thematically into the scope of our Doctoral Centre or if you would like to obtain a doctoral degree other than Dr. rer. nat. (Doctor of Natural Sciences) or Dr. agr. (Doctor of Agricultural Sciences), the HSWT Graduate Academy and our Moodle course offers information on other ways to obtain a doctorate (e.g. the cooperative doctorate).
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Admission Requirements
- Relevant university degree qualifying for doctoral studies (e.g. master's degree, Diplom) with an above-average overall grade of at least 2.5 according to the German grading system (Doctoral Degree Regulations §§ 7 and 8)
- Two supervising professors, at least one of whom must be a member of the Doctoral Centre (first supervisior).
- Participation in the doctoral qualification programme (Doctoral Degree Regulations § 12)
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Application
Applications should be sent by e-mail to graduiertenakademie@hswt.de
Admission as a doctoral candidate and the associated membership of the PZ SusLand is governed by § 9 of the Doctoral Degree Regulations. The documents required for the application for admission as a doctoral candidate and the procedure for the acceptance process can be found in this handout.
Your application can only be considered for formal and academic assessment if all documents have been fully submitted (digitally) by the application deadline.
The doctoral committee decides on the admission as a doctoral candidate.
Please note:
- Please contact us if you are interested in applying in order to answer any questions in advance.
- The supervision of the doctoral project must be clarified before the application, as a supervision agreement must be submitted for the application.
- Allow sufficient time to prepare the application documents. In particular, the regocnition of foreign degree certificates and, obtaining attestations of equivalence can take between two and three months.
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Procedure
- Ask yourself: Do you bring a topic, area of interest or question to the table and do you see yourself working on it for 3-5 years? Do you fulfil all the application the requirements?
- Find two professors who match your research topic and contact them to discuss supervision and the focus of the topic.
- At least one professor must be a member of the Doctoral Centre (first supervisior), a second supervisor can also be a professor outside of SusLand.
- Prepare your application documents thoroughly and completely.
- Please contact Dr Michaela Stegmann, Operational Management of the Doctoral Centre, if you have any questions about the doctorate and the application process.
Committees
- Steering committee
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- Prof Dr Jörg Ewald (Chairman)
- Prof Dr Bernhard Bauer (Deputy Chairman)
- Prof Dr Heike Mempel
- Prof Dr Klaus Menrad
- Prof Dr Christian Zang
- Doctoral committee
- Advisory Board
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- Prof Dr Christoph Moning (Chairman)
- Prof Dr Peter Breunig
- Prof Dr Cristina Lenz
- Prof Dr Susanne Grüner-Lempart
- Dr T. Ammerl (external)
- Prof Dr M. Wiesmeier (external)
- Prof Dr Anja Rammig (external)
