Group Leader
Sophia Becker is a professor of Sustainable Mobility and Transdisciplinary Research Methods at the Technical University of Berlin and research group leader for methods of transformative policy advice at the Research Institute for Sustainability Helmholtz Center Potsdam (RIFS).
In 2018, she initiated the junior research group EXPERI, which she led from June 2019 to March 2022. Prior to that, she was a mobility researcher (PostDoc) at the RIFS in Potsdam (2017-2019). She studied psychology in Münster and Paris and earned her doctorate under Prof. Dr Ortwin Renn, Chair of Sociology of Technology and Environment at the University of Stuttgart (2013-2017). Her dissertation on rebound behaviour in car-based mobility was published by Springer VS Verlag in the series Studien zur Mobilitäts- und Verkehrsforschung. During her PhD studies she worked as a visiting scholar on carsharing and individual quality of life at the department for Innovative Mobility at the Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California Berkeley (2015).
Sophia Becker has lectured on environmental psychology at Leuphana University, Faculty of Sustainability (2012-2014). She has been a member of the scientific advisory board and association of the journal GAIA, Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society since 2018. Sophia Becker's research interests include socio-technical transformation processes, sustainable mobility, individual behaviour change, mobility innovations (cargo bike sharing), and transdisciplinary research methods.
Publications
Felix Creutzig et al (2024). Shared pooled mobility: expert review from nine disciplines and
implications for an emerging transdisciplinary research agenda. Environmental Research Lett. 19 053004
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ad3cf5/pdf
Bissel, M., Becker, S. (2021). Can cargo bikes compete with cars? Cargo bike sharing users rate cargo bikes superior on most motives – Especially if they reduced car ownership. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour Volume 101, February 2024, 218-235.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847823002838
Becker, S. (2021). The potential of digital innovations for the socio-ecological transport transition. BMWi study: Smart mobility, smart logistics - use of digital services for innovative mobility and logistics applications, 14-21.
Jarass, J., Nähring, A., Merzoug, S., Becker, S., Götting, K., Kläver, A., Czeh, A. (2021). Square instead of intersection - Rethinking street space: More quality of stay in public space as a driver for the traffic turnaround. International Transportation 4|2021, 18-22.
Becker, S., Sterz, A. (2021). Three years of the Berlin Mobility Act: How the institutional restructuring makes the Berlin administration capable of action for implementation. International Transportation 3|2021, 10-16.
https://www.experi-forschung.de/drei-jahre-berliner-mobilitaetsgesetz-wie-der-institutionelle-umbau-die-berliner-verwaltung-handlungsfaehig-fuer-die-umsetzung-macht
https://www.internationales-verkehrswesen.de/internationales-verkehrswesen-ausgabe-3-2021
Becker, S., Götting, K. (2021). Pathways to climate-friendly mobility behavior, in Nanz, P., Lawrence, M. G., Renn, O., & Meyer, J. (Eds.). (2021). Climate protection: Knowledge and action. Bonn: Federal Agency for Civic Education, 61-75.
Müller, S. A.; Charlton, W.; Conrad, N. D.; Ewert, R.; Rakow, C.; Wulkow, H.; Becker, S.; Conrad, Tim; Nagel, K.; Schütte, C. (2021). MODUS-COVID report from 05.02.2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-11376
https://depositonce.tu-berlin.de/handle/11303/12561
Becker, S., Bögel, P. & Upham, P. (2021). The role of social identity in institutional work for sociotechnical transitions: The case of transport infrastructure in Berlin. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 162, 120385. 2021.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120385 (open access)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162520312117
Götting, K., Becker, S. (2020). Reactions to the pop-up cycle paths in Berlin. Results of an exploratory survey on temporary cycling infrastructure in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. IASS Study.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2312/iass.2020.019
https://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/faces/ViewItemOverviewPage.jsp?itemId=item_6000142
Weiand, L., Schmitz, S., Becker, S., Niehoff, N., Schwartzbach, F., & von Schneidemesser, E. (2020). Erratum: Climate change and air pollution: the connection between traffic intervention policies and public acceptance in a local context 2019 Environ. Res. Lett. 14 085008 Environmental Research Letters, 14(11): 119601.doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ab3d81.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab299b
https://publications.iass-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_6000049_2/component/file_6000050/content
Becker, S., & Renn, O. (2019). Acceptance conditions of political measures for the transport transition. The case study of the Berlin Mobility Act. In C. Fraune, M. Knodt, S. Gölz, & K. Langer (Eds.), Acceptance and political participation in the energy transformation (pp. 109-130). Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-24760-7
https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783658247591?utm_campaign=sl-buybox_chapterPage_print&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=springerlink#
Verfuerth, C., Henn, L., & Becker, S. (2019). Is it up to them? Individual leverages for sufficiency. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 28(4), 374-380. doi:10.14512/gaia.28.4.9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.28.4.9
https://publications.iass-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_4950894_2/component/file_4950895/content
Schmitz, S., Becker, S., Weiand, L., Niehoff, N., Schwartzbach, F., & von Schneidemesser, E. (2019). Determinants of Public Acceptance for Traffic-Reducing Policies to Improve Urban Air Quality. Sustainability, 11(14): 3991. doi:10.3390/su11143991.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su11143991
https://publications.iass-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_4522895_3/component/file_4522896/content
Leventon, J., Becker, S., Zimmermann, H., & von Wehrden, H. (2019). Leverage Points 2019. A transdisciplinary conference, inspiring change. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 28(1), 55-57. doi:10.14512/gaia.28.1.13. 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.28.1.13
https://publications.iass-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_4128903_8/component/file_4128905/content
Renn, O., Becker, S., Gaschnig, H., Götting, K., Lilliestam, J., Schäuble, D., & Setton, D. (2019). Carbon Pricing for a Socially Just Energy Transition. IASS Policy Brief, 2019(10).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2312/iass.2019.058
https://publications.iass-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_4942894_4/component/file_4942895/content
Renn, O., Becker, S., Gaschnig, H., Götting, K., Lilliestam, J., Schäuble, D., & Setton, D. (2019). CO2-Bepreisung für eine sozial gerechte Energiewende. IASS Policy Brief, 2019(6).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2312/iass.2019.028
https://publications.iass-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_4604899_6/component/file_4621891/content
Becker, S., Herberg, J., & Staemmler, J. (2019). Strukturwandel und Mobilität: Zwei Herausforderungen für Brandenburg. IASS Policy Brief, 2019(4).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2312/iass.2019.016
https://publications.iass-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_4305890_4/component/file_4305891/content
Bauknecht, D., Bracker, J., Heinemann, C., Hesse, T., Kasten, P., Kühnel, S., Mottschall, M., Vogel, M., Becker, S., Kutzner, R., Müller, I., & Thielges, S.(2019). Pfadentscheidungen der Energiewende. Freiburg: Öko-Institut e.V
https://www.oeko.de/fileadmin/oekodoc/Pfadentscheidungen-Energiewende.pdf
2018
Schmitz, S., Weiand, L., Becker, S., Niehoff, N., Schwartzbach, F., & von Schneidemesser, E. (2018). An assessment of perceptions of air quality surrounding the implementation of a traffic-reduction measure in a local urban environment. Sustainable cities and society: SCC, 41, 525-537. doi:10.1016/j.scs.2018.06.011. #
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2018.06.011
https://publications.iass-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_3302905_10/component/file_3302906/content
Becker, S., & Rudolf, C. (2018). Exploring the Potential of Free Cargo-Bikesharing for Sustainable Mobility. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 27(1), 156-164(9). doi:10.14512/gaia.27.1.11.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.27.1.11
https://publications.iass-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_3369899_3/component/file_3369900/content
Stelzer, F., Becker, S., Timm, J., Adomßent, M., Simon, K.-H., Schneidewind, U., Renn, O., Lang, D., & Ernst, A. (2018). Ziele, Strukturen, Wirkungen transformativer Forschung. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 27(4), 405-408. doi:10.14512/gaia.27.4.19.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.27.4.19
https://publications.iass-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_4296910_2/component/file_4296911/content
Becker, S., & Rudolf, C. (2018). The Status Quo of cargo-bikesharing in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In Framing the Third Cycling Century: Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice (pp. 168-180). Dessau-Roßlau: German Environment Agency.
https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/publikationen/framing-the-third-cycling-century
Becker, S. (2018). Individuelles Rebound-Verhalten in der Pkw-Mobilität: Das Wechselspiel von Effizienzverbesserung und Nachfragesteigerung (1. Auflage). Wiesbaden: Springer VS.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-20679-6
Butler, T. M., von Schneidemesser, E., & Becker, S. (2018). Bekämpfung der städtischen Luftverschmutzung: Stickoxide und Dieselemissionen. IASS Policy Brief, 2018(3).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2312/iass.2018.023
https://publications.iass-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_3692894_4/component/file_3692895/content
2016
Stocker, A., Lazarus, J., Becker, S. & Shaheen, S. (2016). North American College/University Market Carsharing Impacts: Results from Zipcar's College Travel Study 2015. Effects on Vehicle Use and Ownership, Travel Behavior, Quality of Life, and Environmental Impacts. TSRC Working Paper, UC Berkeley, CA.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.31014.22085
http://innovativemobility.org/wp-content/uploads/Zipcar-College-Market-Study-2015.pdf
Becker, S., Schober, D. & Wassermann, S. (2016). How to approach consumers' nonmonetary evaluation of electricity supply security? The case of Germany from a multidisciplinary perspective. Utilities Policy, 42, 74-84.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2016.06.012 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0957178716301618
2015
Becker, S. (2015). Rebound-Effekte bei privater Pkw-Nutzung. Versuch einer empirischen Annäherung. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 24 (2), 132-133.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.24.2.13
https://www.energy-trans.de/downloads/GAIA-Rebound-2-2015.pdf
Technische Universität Berlin
Department of Sustainable Mobility and Transdisciplinary Research Methods
Faculty I - IBBA - MAR 1-1
Marchstraße 23
10587 Berlin
