Prof. Dr. Maureen Schulze

21335 Lüneburg, Universitätsallee 1, C11.404
Fon 04131.677-2224, maureen.schulze@leuphana.de
Junior Professor, Junior professorship of Sustainable Consumer Behaviour

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Vita

Maureen Schulze is Junior Professor for Sustainable Consumer Behaviour at the Centre for Sustainability Management. Her research focuses on understanding and facilitating the transition towards sustainable behavior change. She analyzes the behavioral mechanisms that shape sustainable purchasing decisions, as well as decision-making inconsistencies, such as the discrepancy between sustainability attitudes and actual consumer behavior. Additionally, she investigates sustainability transitions, particularly how innovations emerging in niche markets transition into the mainstream market. Her research explores the structural conditions that either enable or hinder sustainable consumer behavior, with a key focus on the role of (food) retailers as agents of change and their strategic levers to accelerate the transition toward more sustainable consumption patterns.

  • Since February 2025: Junior Professor for Sustainable Consumer Behavior at Leuphana University
  • 2021–2024: Postdoctoral Researcher
    Copenhagen Business School
    Department of Management, Society & Communication
  • June 2024: Visiting Researcher
    Wageningen University & Research
    Marketing and Consumer Behaviour Group 
  • 2020–2021: Postdoctoral Researcher
    Georg-August University of Göttingen
    Chair of Marketing for Food and Agricultural Products
  • October and November 2018: Visiting Researcher 
    Aarhus University
    School of Business and Social Sciences, 
  • 2017–2020: Doctoral Student
    Thesis titled Transformation Processes in Intensive Livestock Production Systems: Consumer Demands and Food Retailers Marketing Strategies
    Georg-August University of Göttingen
    Chair of Marketing for Food and Agricultural Products
  • 2013–2016: Master of Science, Agricultural Economics
    Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel

Projects

Publications

Journal contributions

  1. Subdimensions matter: Consumer preferences for water footprint information in environmental labels for food
    Kristin Jürkenbeck (Author) , Maureen Schulze (Author) , 01.06.2026 , in: Future Foods, 13 , 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  2. Do consumers prefer multidimensional or multiple single-issue sustainability labels? Evidence from rice markets in Germany and Singapore
    Julia Checco (Author) , Matty Demont (Author) , Leonard V. Coote (Author) , Maureen Schulze (Author) , Risti Permani (Author) , Yanti Nuraeni Muflikh (Author) , Jaquie Mitchell (Author) , Ammar Abdul Aziz (Author) , 01.03.2026 , in: Food Quality and Preference, 137 , 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  3. The Symbiotic Production of Food and Green Electricity: Consumer Preferences for Food Produced in Agrivoltaic Systems
    Maureen Schulze (Author) , Kristin Jürkenbeck (Author) , 01.02.2025 , in: Business Strategy and the Environment, 34, 2 , p. 2088-2102 , 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  4. How to move the transition to sustainable food consumption towards a societal tipping point
    Maureen Schulze (Author) , M. Janssen (Author) , J. Aschemann-Witzel (Author) , 01.06.2024 , in: Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 203 , 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  5. Who are the Drivers of Change? On the Growing Role of Retailers in Ongoing Attempts to Reorient Markets for Animal Welfare
    Lars Esbjerg (Author) , Klaus Brønd Laursen (Author) , Maureen Schulze (Author) , 01.01.2022 , in: International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 32, 4 , p. 468-487 , 20 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

View all publications

Courses

Developing interventions for sustainable consumption
Jacob Hörisch, Maureen Schulze
⌄
Basierend auf den Erfahrungen aus dem ersten Semester des Minor-Strangs Nachhaltiger Konsum, in dem die Studierenden ohne enge Vorgaben eigene Ideen für Interventionen entwickeln konnten und erweitert durch den im zweiten Semester erworbenen Überblick über Theorien, liegt der Fokus nun auf der theoriegeleiteten Entwicklung von Interventionen zur Förderung nachhaltigen Verhaltens. In Gruppen wählen die Studierenden eine theoretische Grundlage sowie einen spezifischen Aspekt nachhaltigen Konsums, um daraus umsetzbare Interventionen zu entwicklen. Die im Sommersemester 2026 entwickelten Interventionen werden im abschließenden Minor-Semester (Wintersemester 2026/2027) von den Studierenden umgesetzt und evaluiert.
Next appointment:
Wednesday, 2026-05-20 at 10:15
Room: C 12.009 Seminarraum
Marketing Theories and Sustainable Consumption
Maureen Schulze
⌄
The seminar introduces marketing theories that explain consumer behavior and decision-making, with a particular focus on their relevance for sustainable consumption. Students examine how these theoretical frameworks can be used to foster more sustainable consumer behavior and to identify drivers as well as barriers of sustainable choices.
An additional emphasis is placed on critical reflection: students analyze the usefulness and limitations of different theories and discuss the ethical and practical implications of applying marketing concepts to sustainability challenges.
Next appointment:
Monday, 2026-05-18 at 12:15
Room: C 11.308 Seminarraum
Masterforum SEAL
Jacob Hörisch, Stefan Schaltegger, Maureen Schulze
Next appointment:
Wednesday, 2026-05-20 at 14:15
Room: C 12.010 Seminarraum