Philipp Pattberg is a leading scholar in the field of Global Sustainability Politics, with internationally recognized expertise in climate change, biodiversity, forest and ocean governance. His research explores innovative institutional responses to the global sustainability crisis, focusing on the design, interaction, and effectiveness of novel governance arrangements such as multi-stakeholder partnerships, certification schemes, and transnational city networks.
A central contribution of his work is the development of a complexity-informed perspective on global governance, mapping institutional architectures across issue domains and providing actionable insights into policy design and coordination. His databases on International Cooperative Initiatives (ICIs) and his work on institutional fragmentation and SDG implementation have informed policy processes at the EU, UN, and national levels.
At Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Philipp serves as director of the Amsterdam Sustainability Institute (ASI), a university-wide platform for interdisciplinary sustainability research. He also leads the Department of Environmental Policy Analysis (IVM), one of Europe’s foremost groups in environmental governance research. Philipp plays a key role in the university’s sustainability strategy, including the coordination of the Science for Sustainability profile theme and leadership in initiatives such as the Fossil Free dialogue.
Philipp has published widely, including 13 books and special issues, over 120 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and numerous policy-oriented contributions. He is the recipient of the Science Prize of the German Political Science Association, a VIDI grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO), and fellowships from several prestigious institutions. He co-edits the Routledge Research Series in Global Environmental Governance and serves on the editorial boards of GAIA and International Environmental Agreements.
Beyond academia, Philipp contributes to science-policy interfaces as expert board co-chair of the UN SDSN (Netherlands) and the SDG17 United Nations Academic Impact Hub. He is a senior fellow of the Earth System Governance Project and a regular speaker at high-level events and expert panels. In 2025–2026, he will serve as George Soros Visiting Chair of Global Public Policy at Central European University (CEU).
As an educator, Philipp teaches across MSc and PhD programs in political science, environmental studies, and interdisciplinary earth sciences, with appointments in Amsterdam, Vienna, and beyond. He is consistently praised for his inspiring and inclusive teaching approach.
