Rajib Sinha promoted to Associate Professor (Docent)

We at SEED congratulate Rajib Sinha, who on 14 October was promoted to Associate Professor (Docent) in Sustainable Urban Planning at KTH School of Architecture and the Built Environment.

In connection with his docent lecture, he gave a seminar titled “Modeling Societal Metabolism for Sustainable Urban Systems ”, where he presented research on how resource flows in society can be analyzed to support sustainable urban development.

The seminar was chaired by Professor Anders Wörman, who also presented the docent diploma to Rajib Sinha.

Abstract
This docent lecture presents research on modeling societal metabolism to identify systemic drivers of environmental pressures and support proactive environmental management. Grounded in Industrial Ecology, the work integrates Material Flow Analysis, Life Cycle Assessment, Input-Output analysis, and system dynamics to model urban and societal resource flows, stocks, and associated environmental footprints across life cycle stages. Methodological innovations include a pressure-based, driver-oriented approach and the coupling of modeling tools. Applied in collaboration with municipalities, the research bridges theory and practice, supporting environmental monitoring, scenario analysis, and evaluation of circular strategies while addressing rebound effects and unintended consequences in complex urban systems.