GRASS – First round
The GRASS graduate school was launched in January 2021 with its first cohort, comprising 12 doctoral students from eight university departments collaborating across five unique research projects.
Uppsala University Campus Gotland, where the graduate school is located, is a hub for the University's research and education in sustainability.
The main mission of the graduate school is to conduct research based on key social challenges, where local relevance meets international excellence.
We work with international partners, guest researchers and local actors with a special focus on knowledge development to manage and cope with the transition needed to live well in a world with climate change.
The first cohort of the GRASS graduate school began in January 2021. It explores topics such as cultural heritage, digital methods, sustainable consumption, and future energy systems. Key aspects include preservation and change, as well as the definition and management of resources.
Sustainable destination development
Here we focus on the intersection between UN’s Global Goal 17 on Partnership for Sustainable Development, and the need for collaboration and cooperation in destination development. We investigate the challenges within the tourism industry and the possibilities of tackling sustainability challenges by implementing sustainability labelling and eco-tourism.
University departments
Department of Women's and Children's Health • Department of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology
More about the project 'Sustainable destination development'
Gotland’s sustainable energy system transition: resources, demand and planning
How can a 100% renewable energy system for Gotland be achieved with respect to resource availability, energy demand and social sustainability in different future scenarios? The project is divided into three separate, but closely interconnected, PhD projects that focus on resources, demand or planning issues.
University departments
Department of Earth Sciences • Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering
About 'Gotland’s sustainable energy system transition: resources, demand and planning'
Fisheries and coastal development in a small island context: the past, present and future
The overall purpose of this transdisciplinary project is to combine coastal and fisheries development in a small island context in the past with the present to help develop sustainable ways forward.
University departments
Department of Archaeology, Ancient History and Conservation • Department of Earth Sciences
Getting the balance right? Applying legislation when seeking a balance between energy transition and conservation of cultural value
The aim of this project is to explore how existing legislation manages to balance the goals of sustainable energy consumption on the one hand and conservation of cultural heritage values on the other hand. Specifically, this concerns insulation, window replacement and isolar panels on historic buildings.
University departments
Department of Law • Department of Archaeology, Ancient History and Conservation
Digital innovation for sustainable consumption
The aim of this project is to investigate the potential of digital systems to support customers to make sustainable consumption decisions. This includes, for example, deepening our understanding of how consumers consider different kinds of information, and the development of store environments, both physical and online.
University departments
Department of Business Studies • Department of Informatics and Media
Alumni of the GRASS Graduate School
Here we briefly present the doctoral graduates from the first cohort of the GRASS graduate school. GRASS alumni
New projects within GRASS
In autumn 2025, a second round of the graduate school begun, involving 10 doctoral students from five university departments collaborating on five new and distinctive research projects.