Jan Starke PhD

Jan Starke is a researcher in the Resilience Management & Governance team, specialising in ‘public design for the water transition’. His work focuses on the legal and governance aspects of the transition towards a sustainable and circular water service provision. He is fascinated by the question of how the law can contribute to transformative change. Legal aspects are therefore central to his work, particularly the compliance with and implementation of EU legislation. Jan’s research includes environmental and planning law issues, including legal challenges related to the permitting, oversight, and enforcement of both direct and indirect discharges. He also explores issues related to the fair allocation of costs and the valuation of efforts in removing micropollutants from urban wastewater.

In his work, Jan combines legal analysis with governance research. His research addresses how policymakers and stakeholders can engage productively with deeply rooted value conflicts in processes of transformative change, such as sustainability transitions. Existing research indicates that hearing both invited and uninvited public input, listening to the societal environment, and learning from reflections on this input are essential skills for handling controversies in transformative change. Jan examines how these capabilities can be fostered within organisations, for instance, through inclusive and reflective design processes in the public sphere (‘public design’).

Jan has a broad academic background in political science, sustainability sciences, environmental law, and public administration. He completed his PhD on the theme of how an inclusive dialogue between divergent perspectives can contribute to innovative solutions and new insights in sustainability transitions. In addition to his academic expertise, he has extensive experience as a project and quality manager.