Costa explores how education can be conceptualized theoretically and studied empirically in the context of sustainability and social transformation processes. Her research focuses on teacher professionalism, school development, and informal learning. Among other things, she examines how people engage with sustainability issues outside of formal educational institutions. “We demonstrated in a large-scale public survey: When adults are asked what they engage with in their daily lives, only twelve percent of respondents cite topics explicitly related to sustainability. Most of them mention ecological issues such as renewable energy or alternative forms of mobility. I’m interested in when and why such topics become relevant, in which social contexts they are addressed, and under what conditions they lead to changes in behavior — but also in where unsustainable routines are casually learned and reinforced.”

In her bachelor’s thesis, Costa had already explored competencies in education for sustainable development. She earned her doctorate in the externally funded project “Culture in Teacher Education,” after which she conducted research as a postdoctoral fellow at the Leibniz Institute für Bildungsverläufe in Bamberg.

At the University of Hildesheim, she is particularly drawn to the interdisciplinary research environment. She sees her placement at the Institute of Biology and Chemistry as an opportunity to address and integrate questions of sustainability and education from diverse disciplinary perspectives.

Costa is particularly enthusiastic about the students: “They are genuinely eager to engage in in-depth discussions about sustainability issues and the role of education in societal transformation processes.”
In her teaching, Costa emphasizes participation, project work, and outreach to the broader community. “It’s not just about giving presentations in small seminars, but really reaching out to the outside world.” Students should develop their own projects, experiment with educational formats, and collaborate with external stakeholders.

For Costa, the joy of science should not be neglected in the process: “My enthusiasm for questions of education and sustainability has always been a great source of inspiration for me. For me, science also means enduring and pursuing questions for which there are no simple answers, and continuing to research precisely where simple explanations fall short.”