Prof. Dr. Sophia Becker
Affiliate Scholar
© RIFS@GFZ/Lotte Ostermann
Phone
Sophia Becker is Professor of Sustainable Mobility and Transdisciplinary Research Methods at the Technical University of Berlin. From 2022 to 2024, she was Vice-President of the Technical University of Berlin for Sustainability, Internal Communication, Transfer and Transdisciplinarity. She has been active at RIFS in various roles since 2017, initially as a postdoctoral researcher and later as a research group leader.She studied psychology in Münster and Paris and received her doctorate in environmental and technology sociology from the University of Stuttgart. She was also a visiting scholar at the Transportation Sustainability Research Centre at the University of California, Berkeley. From 2022 to 2025, she was a member of the expert advisory board ‘Climate Protection in Mobility’ of the Federal Ministry of Transport and has been a member of the Brandenburg Scientific Climate Advisory Board since 2024. Her research interests include sustainable mobility, acceptance and behavioural change, and socio-technical transformation processes.
Blog Posts
- Bringing Climate Research and Public Administration Together – How Local Government and Science Are Cooperating to Protect the Climate
- Saving energy doesn’t have to mean social imbalance – but we will need to change our habits
- Covid-19 pandemic: Researchers and scientists call on government to enable safe walking and cycling
- How Germany’s climate package can achieve a pioneering climate transition
- Less Diesel, More Cargo Bike Sharing
• Since 06/2020: Professor of Sustainable Mobility and Transdisciplinary Research Methods at the Technical University of Berlin • 06/2019 – 10/2025: Research group leader at RIFS Potsdam (formerly IASS) • 04/2022 – 03/2024: Vice-President of the Technical University of Berlin for Sustainability, Internal Communication, Transfer and Transdisciplinarity • 01/2017-05/19: Research Associate at RIFS Potsdam (formerly IASS). Kopernikus project ‘Energy Transition Navigation System’ (ENavi) • 06/11/2015: Visiting scholar, University of California Berkeley, Transportation Sustainability Research Centre • 02/2013 - 10/2017: Doctorate (Dr. rer. pol.) at the University of Stuttgart, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, under Prof. Dr. Ortwin Renn. Funded by the interdisciplinary Helmholtz Alliance ENERGY-TRANS • 10/05 - 01/11: Diploma in Psychology, University of Münster
- sustainable mobility
- acceptance and behaviour change
- socio-technical transitions
Publications at the RIFS
Publications prior to joining the RIFS
- 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.
- 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.
- Becker, S. (2015). Rebound-Effekte bei privater Pkw-Nutzung. Versuch einer empirischen Annäherung. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 24 (2), 132-133.
Popular scientific publications:
- Becker, S. (2014): Neun Gründe, die Sie vom Radfahren abhalten - und warum sie Unsinn sind. Gastbeitrag für Wirtschaftswoche/WiWo Green, 14.04.2014.
- Becker, S. (2014): Lastenrad statt Auto - auch Stuttgart springt auf den Trend auf. Gastbeitrag für Wirtschaftswoche/WiWo Green, 24.12.2014.
- Becker, S. & Staemmler, J. (2019): Strukturwandel und Mobilität: zwei Herausforderungen für Brandenburg - Vorstellung und Diskussion des IASS Policy Briefs. Landtag Brandenburg, Fraktionssitzung von Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, 13.08.2019, Potsdam.
- Schmitz, S., Weiand, L., Becker, S. & von Schneidemesser, E. (2019): Decision makers, scientists, and the public as stakeholders: The connection between traffic intervention policy and air quality in a local context. European International Conference on Transforming Urban Systems (EICTUS) 2019, Université de Strasbourg, 26.06.2019, Strasbourg.
- Becker, S. (2019): Grundbedürfnis: Mobilität Lebensqualität Psychologie. Runder Tisch Verbraucherpolitik, Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung, 20.05.2019 München.
- Becker, S. & Egermann, F. (2019): Zukunftspotenziale des Lastenrad-Sharings: "Freie Lastenräder" und neue Akteure. Nationaler Radverkehrskongress, 14.05.2019, Dresden.
- Becker, S. (2019): Understanding individual travel behavior. ENavi Summer School, 13.05.2019, Potsdam
- Becker, S. (2019): Lastenrad-Sharing - Abschätzung der Umwelt- und Verhaltenseffekte. Jahreskonferenz des AK Verkehr, 9.-10.5.2019, Würzburg.
- Schirmer, J., Becker, S., Renn, O. (2019) Measuring the societal impact of a transdisciplinary institute as a leverage point for the transformation of the science system. Leverage Points Conference, 6-8. Feb. 2019, Lüneburg.
- Becker, S. (2018): Understanding individual travel behavior. Guest Lecture for the Master's Program Sustainable Mobility Management, Technische Universität Berlin.
- Becker, S., Bögel, P., Upham, P. (2018): Transport policy change - An actor-centered analysis of Berlin's Verkehrswende project. Presentation at the 9th International Sustainability Transition conference (14.6.2018), Manchester, UK.
- Becker, S. (2018): Wissenschaftliche Perspektive auf Lastenrad-Sharing - Verhaltensänderung und Umweltentlastung. Fachtagung zu Entwicklung & Betrieb von öffentlichen Transportrad-Mietsystemen, Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur, 26.10.2018, Berlin.
- Becker, S. (2019): Vom Wollen zum Tun - die Psychologie des Umweltverhaltens. EcoDesign Forum, 17.05.2018, Köln.
- Becker, S., Egermann, F. (2018): Die Verkehrswende selber machen. Lastenrad-Sharing. Re:Publica18 Konferenz zur digitalen Gesellschaft, Berlin, 3.5.2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI3ZfOFHYT4
- Becker, S. (2018): "Der Umstieg auf E-Mobilität - Umweltpsychologische Dimensionen". Experten-Workshop Elektromobilität, Forschungszentrum Umweltpolitik (FFU), Freie Universität Berlin, 20.02.2018.
- Becker, S., Jarass, J. & Xue, B. (2017): "Empirical results of the transdisciplinary Kopernikus-project "ENavi": Electric vehicles in China and Germany" at 5. Jahresforum Deutsch-Chinesisches Zentrum für die Förderung der Umwelt- und Energie e.V. (DCZUE), Technische Universität Berlin, 09.12.2017.
- Jarass, J., Becker, S., Xue, B. (2017): What are the underlying purchase motives of electric car owners? Empirical evidence from Germany and China. Vortrag beim „Sino-German Workshop on Energy Transitions" in Shenyang, China 13-15 Oct. 2017
- Becker, S. (2017): "The transdisciplinary project design of Kopernikus ENavi", auf dem „Sino-German Workshop on Energy Transitions" in Shenyang, China 13-15 Oct. 2017
- Rudolf, C. & Becker, S. (2017): Exploring the Potential of Cargo-Bike-Sharing for Sustainable Mobility - Early Adopters' Characteristics and User Behavior, International Cycling Conference Bridging Research and Practice, Umweltbundesamt, Mannheim, 20.09.2017.
- Becker, S. et al. (2017): The impact of carsharing on consumers' quality of life. Vortrag auf der International Conference for Environmental Psychology, A Coruna, Spanien, 30.08.2017.
- Becker, S. & Mack, B. (2017): Consumers' goal frames and rebound behavior in car purchase decisions, Vortrag auf der International Conference on Environmental Psychology, A Coruna, Spain, 30.08.2017.
- Becker, S. (2017): Wie die Digitalisierung kollaborativen Konsum und nachhaltige Mobilität unterstützt - Fallbeispiel Lastenrad-Sharing. Digitalisierung und Mobilität, Kolloquium/ Transdisziplinäres Roundtablegespräch - Grundsatzfragen, ökologische, ökonomische und gesellschaftliche Nachhaltigkeit. 18.07.2017, Potsdam
- Becker, S. (2017): Individuelles Rebound-Verhalten in der Pkw-Mobilität. Vortrag, Arbeitskreis Verkehr in Frankfurt a. M., 20.05.2017
- Becker, S. (2017): Consumers' goal frames and rebound behavior in car purchase decisions. Young Researchers Forum, Ecole Nationale Supérieure, 21.04.2017, Paris.
- Becker, S. (2017): Fossile Realität: Individuelles Rebound-Verhalten in der Pkw-Mobilität. Doktorandenkolloquium „Postfossile Mobilität: Keine Energiewende ohne Mobilitätswende?" des Leibniz-Forschungsverbundes Energiewende, 13.03.2017, Dortmund.
- Becker, S. (2016): Rebound effects in car-based mobility. Oral Presentation at the Expert Workshop of Task 28 "Home Grids and Vehicle to X Technologies", International Energy Agency, 26-28.10.2016, Paris.
- Becker, S.(2015): Umweltpsychologie. Umweltbildungswerkstatt des Landes NRW, 25.2.2015, Lünen.
- Becker, S: (2014): Warum kaufen Nutzer effizientere aber größere Autos? - Konzeptionelle und methodische Herausforderungen einer qualitativen Interviewstudie zu Rebound-Effekten, Vortrag auf der Jahreskonferenz des Pegasus-Nachwuchsnetzwerks für Mobilitäts- und Verkehrsforschung, 10.-11.10.2014, Karlsruhe.
- Becker, S. (2014): Psychological perspectives on sustainable attitudes and behavior. Green Events Europe Conference, 2-3.11.2014, Bonn.
- Becker, S. (2014): Wie können wir unser Leben mit-gestalten?, Symposium für Nachhaltiges Design „ÖKORausch", 29.9.2014, Köln.
- Becker, S. (2013): Investigating Energy Consumption Behavior in the Context of Germany's Energiewende. Oral Presentation at the International Risk Governance Council, 20-22.11.2013, Lausanne.
- Becker, S. (2013): Psychological frameworks to explain rebound effects in car-based mobility. Oral Presentation at the Conference "Energy Systems in Transition: Inter- and Transdisciplinary Contrilerions", 9-11.10.2013, Karlsruhe.
- Henn, L., Becker, S., Spada, H. (2013): Developing a measure for sufficient behavior. Oral Presentation at the 10th Biennial Conference on Environmental Psychology, 22-25.9.2013, Magdeburg.
- Becker, S. (2012): Psychologie des Wandels. Symposium für Nachhaltiges Design „ÖKORausch", 8.10.2012, Köln.
- Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the journal GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society
- Member of the German Psychological Association (DGPS), Section Environmental Psychology
- Member of the German Sociological Association (DGS), Section Environmental Sociology
- Member of the Association for Psychology and Sustainability