Ranked as a top university for sustainability globally
The Agenda 2030 Graduate School is one of several important initiatives that demonstrate Lund University’s strong and strategic commitment to sustainability – a commitment that has helped establish the university as a global leader in this field.
In the most recent QS World University Rankings: Sustainability, Lund University was ranked third globally out of approximately 1,750 universities.
Leading research and education
What underpins this success in sustainability? While there is no single answer, and not even the university knows precisely how QS assesses and weighs the various criteria within its three main categories (sustainable education, sustainable institutions, and sustainable research), several contributing factors can be identified:
- A university-wide, long-term commitment to sustainability, including the creation of the Sustainability Forum and the adoption of a comprehensive sustainability strategy to guide and coordinate efforts.
- Leading research in sustainability, including environmental and climate science, across multiple disciplines.
- Interdisciplinary research and education initiatives, such as the Agenda 2030 Graduate School, the Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies, and the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics. Several strategic research areas also include dedicated sustainability work.
- Extensive educational offerings that integrate sustainability perspectives, from Bachelor’s to PhD level, including MOOCs and professional development programmes.
- Active engagement with external actors, including public authorities, civil society and the private sector, to promote sustainability through collaboration and knowledge exchange.
One of the university’s strengths in the field of sustainability is its interdisciplinary approach. The complex societal challenges we face – climate change, resource consumption, social sustainability – demand insights from a broad range of academic disciplines.
Cross-disciplinary exchanges
The Agenda 2030 Graduate School provides a concrete example of interdisciplinary collaboration in practice. PhD students from all faculties at Lund University come together around issues related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They deepen their own research projects while gaining new perspectives through cross-disciplinary exchange. This engagement also generates spillover effects for their supervisors and home departments, and in some cases, it leads to a deeper understanding of their role and contribution to the university’s broader sustainability efforts.
‘The graduate school trains a coming generation of researchers in dealing with some of the most pressing societal challenges of our time. Through courses, seminars, conferences, and other activities, doctoral students get a deeper understanding of those problems, and gain the necessary skills for dealing with them across disciplinary boundaries. That way, the graduate school participates in and influences societal change,’ says Markus Gunneflo, coordinator of the Agenda2030 Graduate School.
Read more about the Agenda 2030 Graduate School
Read more about QS World University Rankings: Sustainability – topuniversities.com
Read more about Lund University's sustainability efforts – lu.se