Alex Häuser is a doctoral researcher in the Climate Change and Health working group within the Climate Resilience research department (RD2). His research combines food systems transformation, planetary health and sustainable development.
In his PhD project, Towards a Social Tipping Point for Food Systems Transformation: The Role of Edible Cities, Alex investigates how urban food initiatives can catalyse wider shifts towards healthier and more plant-based diets. Drawing on social tipping point theory, interdisciplinary systems perspectives, and comparative urban case studies, he examines how changes in food environments, social practices, and policy can reinforce one another to accelerate food systems transformation.
Beyond his doctoral research, he works for the United Nations Association of Germany (DGVN) at the science-policy interface and runs his own science communication channel, Think Through Food, exploring the connections between food, sustainability, and society.
Contact
14412 Potsdam
Academic Affiliations
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human-Environment Systems (IRI THESys)
Professional Networks
United Nations Association of Germany (DGVN)
Science Communication
Research Interests
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Food Systems Transformation & Sustainable Diets
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Planetary Boundaries & Sustainable Development
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Social Tipping Points & Behavioural Change
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Urban Food Systems & Edible Cities
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Environmental Governance & Science-Policy Interfaces
Research Approaches
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Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research
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Systematic Literature Reviews & Conceptual Framework Development
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Qualitative Expert Interviews & Stakeholder Analysis
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Comparative Urban Case Studies
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Scenario Planning & Scalability Assessment
Towards a Social Tipping Point for Food Systems Transformation: The Role of Edible Cities
Doctoral Research Project | Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) & Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
This project investigates the potential of edible cities to catalyse social tipping dynamics that accelerate the transformation to healthier, more sustainable food systems. It examines how different urban interventions — ranging from local food production and accessibility to technological innovation, leadership, and policy — can interact to influence dietary practices and enable broader systemic change.
The research combines three complementary phases:
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Systematic Review & Framework Development: Synthesising interdisciplinary literature to identify key urban levers and pathways for food systems transformation.
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Expert Elicitation & Urban Action Plan: Assessing the transformative potential, feasibility, and trade-offs of urban interventions through expert interviews and multi-criteria mapping.
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Comparative Urban Case Studies: Investigating how different pathways of transformation emerge and operate in contrasting urban contexts, with a focus on Berlin and London.
The project aims to identify actionable strategies to scale urban food-system interventions and support transformative change aligned with planetary boundaries, human health, and sustainable development.
