Guest PhD Researcher
Lea Marie Sasse is a PhD candidate in Social Sciences at the University of Stavanger and a guest researcher at IRI THESys, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Lea’s PhD project studies social and environmental justice implications of the transition to electric vehicles, considering the supply chains and multi-scalar connections of the electrification of automobility. Through a qualitative research approach, the project explores the justice claims, power relations, and contestations associated with the siting of a gigafactory in Germany and the development of lithium extraction in Argentina.
Lea holds a double Bachelor’s degree (BA) in International Business Administration from the Berlin School of Economics and Law and the University of the Basque Country, and a Master’s degree (MSc) in Economic Development from Lund University. Previous work experiences include internships at GIZ and the German Federal Foreign Office, with a focus on green finance, industry decarbonization, and private sector cooperation.
Research Interests
- Political ecology and justice in energy and mobility transitions
- Mineral extraction in Latin America
- Participatory processes in sustainability transformations
