How can our complex society become more sustainable? At the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam, multidisciplinary research teams are working to answer this question from diverse perspectives. The Institute’s research approach is transformative, transdisciplinary, and co-creative, with a focus on developing a common understanding of sustainability challenges and options for their resolution in cooperation with actors from science, the political and administrative spheres, business, and civil society. IASS researchers support decision-making processes at the local, national and international levels by identifying sustainable development pathways and actively contributing to transformation processes. The Institute’s central research topics are global sustainability policy and new governance models, especially with regard to democratic institutions and decision-making processes, innovative solutions for future energy systems, sustainable resource consumption, and the challenges facing our Earth system as a result of climate change and air pollution. The special transdisciplinary approach adopted by the IASS requires ongoing dialogue with actors from the fields of science, politics, culture and business from all over the world. The IASS Fellowship Programme fosters this dialogue by inviting highly qualified people to join the Institute and work alongside local experts on the complex challenges of sustainable development. Their experience, insights, and innovative thinking contributes to research activities at the Institute and facilitates decision-making. The IASS is akin to a transdisciplinary think tank for sustainable development, in which the ecological, economic and social dimensions of sustainability are brought together in an integrative approach.