Professor Carl Folke stands as a preeminent leader in sustainability science and ecological economics with over three decades of transformative contributions to understanding humanity's relationship with the biosphere. He currently serves as Director of the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Founder and Science Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University, positions he has held since the institution's founding in 2007. Born in Stockholm in 1955, Folke earned his academic credentials with dual expertise in economics and ecology, defending his PhD in 1990 on the role of life-supporting ecosystems for social and economic development. His career trajectory includes significant leadership roles as Deputy Director of the Beijer Institute from 1991 to 1996 and Director of Stockholm University's Center for Transdisciplinary Environmental Research from 1999 to 2006, establishing him as a pioneering figure who bridges scientific disciplines and institutional boundaries.
Folke's groundbreaking research has fundamentally reshaped understanding of the dynamic interplay between humans and nature, economy and ecology, through his development of social-ecological systems theory and resilience thinking. His seminal work illustrates how progress, prosperity, and wellbeing fundamentally depend on reconnecting development to the biosphere foundation, with his research spanning from local ecosystem management to global sustainability transformations. The 2004 Sustainability Science Award from the Ecological Society of America recognized his influential paper Catastrophic shifts in ecosystems published in Nature, which has become one of the most cited works in sustainability science. With over 350 publications and recognition as one of the world's most cited researchers, Folke has produced foundational texts including Linking Social and Ecological Systems and Principles of Ecosystem Stewardship, establishing frameworks that guide sustainability research and practice worldwide.
Beyond his research contributions, Professor Folke has been instrumental in building the global sustainability science community through his co-founding of the Resilience Alliance and involvement in major international assessments including the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. His work uniquely integrates science with policy and practice, collaborating with key actors from local landscapes in Sweden to international bodies and transnational corporations to translate theoretical insights into actionable stewardship approaches. Folke maintains active engagement at the arts-science interface and serves on editorial boards of fifteen international scientific journals, ensuring rigorous scholarly discourse while expanding the field's creative dimensions. Currently, he continues to advance biosphere-based sustainability science through initiatives like the Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere Academy Programme, maintaining his position at the forefront of efforts to build resilience for humanity in the Anthropocene era.
