What is
STAR Hub
?
We are dedicated to driving social transformations towards sustainability through a combination of direct action, rigorous research, and fostering meaningful connections with kindred efforts in Canada and beyond.
The history
Created in 2024, STAR Hub emerged from a cross-faculty consensus at The King’s University to embed sustainability more deeply into research and to build strength through connection. It was founded on the belief that collaboration across disciplines and communities is essential for meaningful transformation.
What is
meant by
sustainability
transformation
?
Sustainability
Systems
perspective
Towards
a
future-proof
society
How we
work
Creating bridges for transformation
Because sustainability is an all-encompassing endeavor, STAR Hub strives to be a bridge among the various relevant centres, institutes, and initiatives that exist in academia and society at large.
Our distinctive focus is to highlight and connect the work done by anyone engaged in the transformation towards a future-proof society, as opposed to centering our own projects and institutional identity. STAR Hub is meant to be a commons, not a private property!
Transdisciplinarity
We embrace transdisciplinarity as a bridge between these three types of knowledge:
Systems-knowledge → Understand what is
Normative knowledge → Define what ought to be
Strategic knowledge → Plan how to get there
By integrating these, it transforms fragmented insights into coherent, real-world solutions.
understanding, values, and action co-evolve, through the engagement of stakeholders
It’s not just about knowing—it’s about knowing together, for change.
Action Research
Unlike traditional research that simply observes, action research actively works to create change. It collaborates with communities to co-design interventions and then studies their real-world impact. For example, researchers might partner with a neighborhood to develop and test a zero-waste initiative—learning from the process to inform broader environmental strategies.
Training
Through immersive internship- and job opportunities, at STAR Hub, students gain experience that matters.
In partnership with faculty, research centers, and a broad network of changemakers, students explore bold ideas and build the skills to lead transformation.
This is where knowledge meets purpose—and futures can start taking shape.
About the
Network
The
people
behind
the Hub
Dr. Adrian Beling
Director
Canada Research Chair in Transition to Sustainability | Assistant Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies, The King’s University
Dr. Christopher Peet
Core Member
Professor of Psychology, The King’s University | Founder and Director: Institute for Contemplative Ecology (I4C)
Dr. Harry Spaling
Core Member
Emeritus Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies, The King’s University
Dr. Elma Montaña
Core Member
Director Institute of Human, Social, and Environmental Sciences, INCIHUSA, CONICET (Argentina) | Professor of Rural Sociology, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (Argentina)
Oliver Rossier
Core Member
Director, Office of Research in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Alberta
Dr. Julien Vanhulst
Core Member
Professor of Sociology, Universidad Católica del Maule (Chile)
Dr. Peter Mahaffy
Associate Member
Director, King’s Centre for Visualization in Science (KCVS) | Professor of Chemistry, The King’s University
Jonathan Nicolai-deKoning
Associate Member
Micah Centre Program Director, The King’s University
Andrew Kirk
Associate Member
Assistant Professor of Education, The King’s University
Dr. Joanne Moyer
Associate Member
Associate Professor | Director, Environmental Studies and Geography, The King’s University
Dr. Stephen Sharper
Associate Member
Associate Professor, School of the Environment, Department of Anthropology (UTM) | Fellow, Trinity College | Associate Faculty, Toronto School of Theology, University of Toronto
Dr. Alex Pazaitis
Associate Member
Strategy and Academic Engagement, P2P Lab | Political Economy Researcher, Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance, TalTech
Julia Gesshe
Research Coordinator, FIAT Project
The King’s University | Graduate Student, MSc Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology, University of Alberta
Nils Mojem
Research Assistant, FIAT Project
PhD student, Global Studies, Humboldt, University of Berlin
Héctor Pérez Zamora
Research Assistant, FIAT Project
PhD student, political science, Universidad del Salvador (Argentina)
Dr. Alejandro Pelfini
Associate Member
Director of Graduate Studies, Universidad del Salvador (Argentina) | Associate researcher, Global Studies Programme, FLACSO Argentina.
Jennifer Berkenbosch
Associate Artist
Visual artist | Founder, Range Road Art Collective | Co-manager, Sundog Organic Farm
Joshua Dykstra
Photography - Research Assistant, FIAT Project
Undergraduate student in Environmental Studies and Theology, The King’s University
Santiago Rojas
Research Assistant, FIAT Project
Undergraduate student in Psychology, minor in Philosophy, The King’s University
Institutional
Partners
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus a arcu consequat, porttitor odio id, rhoncus sapien. Nunc sit amet ante elit. Cras ac sem sagittis nunc laoreet pretium. Morbi vel malesuada nisi. Morbi et volutpat elit. Aenean vel ex pellentesque, viverra mauris sit amet, mattis mauris. Donec mollis blandit nisi, porta laoreet turpis facilisis vel.
