Carleton University has become the first North American institutional member of the Sustainability Transitions Research Network (STRN), the international network of scholars and practitioners studying and working to advance pathways toward more sustainable societal systems. Building on past achievements in the field, this milestone cements Carleton’s position as North America’s leading cluster for transitions research, policy engagement, and training.
Sustainability transitions is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field focused on understanding and accelerating the profound societal changes needed to address pressing challenges such as climate change. Its frameworks and insights have increasingly been taken up by leading international organizations and government bodies, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, OECD, World Bank, and the European Commission. Since its founding in 2009, STRN has become the global hub for this work, connecting more than 3,000 researchers and practitioners.
“Carleton researchers have made prominent contributions to the field for more than a decade, helping to shape how policy practitioners and experts think about and seek to realize pathways to more sustainable futures,” said Daniel Rosenbloom, Ivey Research Chair in Sustainability Transitions at Carleton. “Joining STRN as its first North American institutional member underscores both the university’s leadership and its ongoing commitment to advancing transition research and action.”
A Record of Leadership
Carleton has long been a pioneer in sustainability transitions. In 2009, it launched a flagship interdisciplinary graduate program in sustainable energy, bridging engineering and policy to train new leaders in energy transitions. Chancellor’s Professor James Meadowcroft, former Canada Research Chair in Governance for Sustainable Development, helped establish the politics and governance of transitions as a core area of study within the network and later developed the governance approach that informed the creation of Canada’s Transition Accelerator in 2016.
Carleton has also anchored major national initiatives, including Efficiency Canada (2018), the country’s leading voice for an energy efficient economy. In 2019, Carleton brought the STRN’s annual flagship event, the International Sustainability Transitions (IST) Conference, to North America for the first and only time to date. More recently, in partnership with the Ivey Foundation, the university established the first endowed research chair dedicated to the field in North America (2024).
Today, Carleton brings together a critical mass of scholars advancing research and practice across multiple dimensions of sustainability transitions including but not limited to:
- Kristen Schell, Canada Research Chair in Uncertainty-Informed Net-Zero Energy System Modelling
- Reza Kholghy, Canada Research Chair in Particle Technology and Combustion Engineering (industrial decarbonization)
- Elie Azar, Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Buildings and Communities
- James Meadowcroft, Chancellor’s Professor, former Canada Research Chair, and Principal at the Transition Accelerator
- Alexandra Mallett, Associate Professor in Public Policy
- Daniel Rosenbloom, Ivey Research Chair in Sustainability Transitions
- Cameron Roberts, Adjunct Research Professor and Senior Research Associate in Sustainability Transitions
- Brendan Haley, Adjunct Research Professor and Senior Director of Policy Strategy at Efficiency Canada
Expanding Global Reach
With Carleton’s membership, STRN deepens its global presence to include a strong North American institutional partner. This step comes at a time when the network is experiencing growing uptake globally, with new regional hotbeds emerging in Asia and Latin America.
“STRN was founded to foster collaboration among scholars across the field of sustainability transitions internationally,” said Florian Kern, Chair of the STRN. “Carleton’s long-standing contributions to the field and its commitment to push forward transition thinking in North America, both within research and policymaking, make it a great partner. Its membership marks an important step in expanding STRN’s global reach while strengthening our capacity to support research, knowledge exchange, development of early career researchers, and innovation in transition policy and practice.”
Looking Ahead
“Carleton’s membership in STRN is both a recognition of past achievements and a platform for future impact,” said Rafik Goubran, Vice-President (Research & International) and Chancellor’s Professor. “With global sustainability challenges intensifying, our community of scholars, students, and partners is committed to advancing the knowledge, solutions, and collaborations needed to drive system change.”
About STRN
The Sustainability Transitions Research Network (STRN) is the world’s largest international community of researchers and practitioners focused on sustainability transitions. It works to advance knowledge development, education and training, knowledge exchange, and outreach.
About Carleton University
Located in Canada’s capital of Ottawa, Carleton connects world-class researchers, industry leaders, and over 30,000 students to tackle the most pressing global concerns.