Anna Lewis
I am a Research Associate and PhD candidate at the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Trained as an educational scientist, secondary school teacher, and adult educator (Federal Diploma of Higher Education), I work at the intersection of sustainability education, competence development, and higher education innovation.
In my research and teaching, I focus on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), key sustainability competencies, competence-based curriculum development, and innovative teaching and learning approaches. I am particularly interested in how sustainability competencies can be meaningfully integrated, assessed, and fostered in higher education across diverse cultural and institutional contexts.
My PhD research explores how key sustainability competencies can be embedded in higher education through competence-based curriculum and course development. One strand of this research examines the validation of sustainability competence frameworks through engagement with sustainability professionals. By investigating how practitioners from academia, organizational settings, and civil society perceive, prioritize, and enact sustainability competencies in their work, I seek to strengthen the connection between higher education and the realities of sustainability practice.
At the University of Bern, I teach in the Sustainable Development and Sustainability Transformations programmes and contribute to their ongoing development. Beyond Switzerland, I have led and supported sustainability education initiatives in Europe, Africa, and Asia, co-creating educational formats that integrate real-world sustainability challenges, field-based knowledge, and collaborative learning. Ultimately, my work aims to support universities in preparing graduates to navigate and contribute to sustainability transformations.
My full profile can be viewed on the University of Bern website. You are also welcome to reach out by email.