Socio-Environmental Dynamics Research Group (SONYA)
SONYA is a research center connecting different perspectives and disciplines for the study of links between society and environment
Socio-Environmental Dynamics Research Group (SONYA)
Our work is contributing to empirical and fundamental research about socio-environmental dynamics, in order to participate of a transformation to a sustainable society, through teaching and participation to societal debates.
SONYA's News
SONYA contributes to the public debate on building a social-ecological protection in Belgium
September 30, 2025
In collaboration with researchers from UCLouvain, ULB, and Sciences Po Paris, our colleagues Aurore Fransolet and Tom Bauler took part in a study proposing concrete pathways to adapt Belgium’s social protection system to social-ecological risks. This work, which has received wide attention in the press and among stakeholders, aims to contribute to the public and political debate on the future of social protection in the face of 21st-century challenges.
New article by Aurore Fransolet in Ecological Economics: Mapping Visions of a Just Transition
September 17, 2025
Aurore Fransolet has published a new article in Ecological Economics entitled “Mapping visions of a just transition: A Q survey of Belgian stakeholders”, co-authored with Marek Hudon, Adriano La Gioia, and Sandrine Meyer.
Comparative life cycle assessment of industrial and artisanal spirulina production systems
August 18, 2025
New article published based on the work of one of our masterstudents that graduated last june.
Join SONYA: 2 PhD Positions on Urban Polluter Elites and Sufficiency Now Open!
July 22, 2025
Join SONYA to carry out research on urban polluter elites and sufficiency, as part of the Just Transitions Chair (ULB-VUB) – two PhD positions now open!
“Embedding social justice in EU climate and sustainability governance”
July 9, 2025
On 19 June 2025, in Brussels, Louis Florin participated at a roundtable discussion on “Embedding social justice in EU climate and sustainability governance” at the closing conference of the GreenDeal-NET about “Rethinking EU Climate and Sustainability Governance in an Age of Disruption”.
Members of the LAMARTRA team presented their work
July 9, 2025
On Monday 26th May, researchers, policymakers, social partners, and civil society actors gathered at the National Labour Council / Central Economic Council to discuss about how to achieve a just and democratic transition towards a low-carbon economy.
Job Offer at SONYA : Post-doc in agent-based modelling for Regional Land Planning Support
July 2, 2025
We offer : In the framework of the funded FNRS PDR project “Life cycle and system thinking to support long-term regional land planning” (Lisy plan), we offer a 2 yr 80% FTE post-doc position (or 21 month full time), held in the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) (The francophone Free University of Brussels, Belgium), in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich, hosting a 1 FTE PhD scholarship on the same project)- The project focuses on coupling agent-based modelling (ABM), Multi-regional Input output assessment (MRIO) and life cycle assessment (LCA) for dynamic modeling.
Kim successfully defended her doctoral dissertation
July 2, 2025
Kim successfully defended her doctoral dissertation titled “How Dare You?”: Towards a Politics of Eco-Shaming, supervised by professor Tom Bauler (SONYA, ULB) and professor Thomas Block (Universiteit Gent).
Naviguer entre science et politique : un parcours au cœur des invasions biologiques.
April 17, 2025
Sonya Seminar by S. Vanderhoeven, 4 Juin à 11h. Naviguer entre science et politique : un parcours au cœur des invasions biologiques.