Research Areas

• Perception of technologies (Carbon Dioxide Removal methods, special focus on CCS)
• Theory and methodology in trust research
• Factors influencing sustainability transformations (e.g. conflicts, crises, extreme events, narratives)
• Transformations, social inequality, and justice
• Fabrication and dissemination of scientific knowledge
• Empirical research methods (Mixed methods, serious games)

Current projects    

RamonCO - Risk-based framework for assessing CO2 storage monitoring

• Risk perception along the entire carbon capture and storage (CCS) process chain (capture, transport, storage, monitoring)

• Participatory development and evaluation of risk governance strategies

Carbon Cascadia - Development of Carbon Dioxide Removal Online Game

• Serious Game to illustrate the complexities of CDR deployment
• Co-development of CDR solutions
  

Completed projects    

BioNET – Multi-stage assessment of biobased negative emission technologies

• Regional analyses on the feasibility of biobased NETs
• Participatory assessment of NETs options

KAHR - Klima, Anpassung, Hochwasser, Resilienz

• Social scientific monitoring of the reconstruction after the floods

DigiMon - Digital Monitoring of CO2 Storage Projects (ACT-EU)

• Trust building concerning carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects
• Development of a framework for social embeddedness of technology

Trust in Technologies for a Zero Carbon Future (Royal Academy of Engineering)

• Relation of trust and participation
• Technical experts' perspectives on trust and participation
  

Publications

Thrän, Daniela/Borchers, Malgorzata/Lenz, Volker/Jordan, Matthias/Markus, Till/Matzner, Nils/Oehmichen, Katja/Otto, Danny/Radtke, Kai Sven/Reshef, Nir/et al. (2025): The Role of BECCS in Germany: A Key to Sustainable and Permanent CO2 Removal? In: Environmental Research Communications.

Wollnik, Ronja/Szarka, Nora/Matzner, Nils/Otto, Danny/Sadr, Mohammad/Esmaeili Aliabadi, Danial/Tremmel, Raphael/Röbisch, Joshua/Thrän, Daniela (2025): Scenario Storylines for Carbon Dioxide Removal in Germany: Drawing From Regional Perspectives. In: GCB Bioenergy, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 17 (9), e70075.

Matzner, Nils/Otto, Danny/Polzin, Christine/Hauck, Jennifer/Förster, Johannes/Wollnik, Ronja/Siedschlag, Daniela/Thrän, Daniela (2025): Bisher mehr Hürden als Chancen für bio-CDR: Berichte aus Stakeholder-Workshops zu biomassebasiertem Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR). 1/2025. Leipzig: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research.

Heggelund, Yngve/Lien, Martha/Otto, Danny (2025): The Application of a Multidisciplinary Framework for Optimizing the Monitoring System for Geological CO2 Storage. In: C, 11 (2), 34.

Otto, Danny/Reckhaus, Zora/Kuhlicke, Christian (2025): Caring, Coping and Rebuilding—The Role of Social Infrastructure During and After the 2021 Flood Event in Germany. In: Journal of Flood Risk Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 18 (1), e70007.

Otto, Danny/Sprenkeling, Marit et al. (2024): How to Organize Inter- and Transdisciplinary Work in International Carbon Capture and Storage Research Projects? Insights From CCS Research in Norway, Greece, Germany, Romania and the Netherlands. Rochester, NY: Social Science Research Network.

Sprenkeling, Marit/Otto, Danny et al. (2024): Societal Risk Governance for Carbon Capture and Storage Projects: Using Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Approaches in Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece and Romania. Rochester, NY: Social Science Research Network.

Borchers, Malgorzata/Jordan, Matthias/Volker, Lenz/Markus, Till/Matzner, Nils/Oehmichen, Katja/Otto, Danny/Radtke, Kai Sven/Reshef, Nir/Sadr, Mohammed/et al. (2024): BECCS – ein nachhaltiger Beitrag zur dauerhaften CO2-Entnahme in Deutschland? Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research.

Otto, Danny/Matzner, Nils (2024): Let Us Get Regional: Exploring Prospects for Biomass-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal on the Ground. In: C, 10 (1), 25.

Markus, Till/Otto, Danny/Thrän, Daniela (2024): Carbon dioxide removal as a building block of German climate policy. Helmholtz Climate Initiative.

Kuhlicke, Christian/de Brito, Mariana M./Otto, Danny/Reckhaus, Zora (2023): Resilienter wiederaufbauen? Erste Thesen zur Rekonfiguration hydrosozialer Territorien nach dem Hochwasser 2021. In: Kabisch, Sigrun/Rink, Dieter/Banzhaf, Ellen (Hrsg.), Die Resiliente Stadt: Konzepte, Konflikte, Lösungen. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, 267–281.

Markus, Till/Otto, Danny/Korte, Klaas/Gawel, Erik/Schindler, Harry/Thrän, Daniela (2023): Entnahme von CO2 als Baustein der deutschen Klimapolitik - 11 kurze Überlegungen zu Abgrenzung, Portfolio und Klimarecht. UFZ Discussion Papers 4/2023.

Otto, Danny (2023): Public perception of CO2 capture and storage. Helmholtz Climate Initiative.

Otto, Danny/Chilvers, Jason/Trdlicova, Karolina (2023): A Synthetic Review of the Trust-Participation Nexus: Towards a Relational Concept of Trust in Energy System Transformations to Net Zero. In: Energy Research & Social Science, 101, 103140.

Otto, Danny (2023): Umweltgerechtigkeit [Environmental Justice]. In: Sonnberger, Marco/Bleicher, Alena/Groß, Matthias (Hrsg.), Handbuch Umweltsoziologie. Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien, 1–14.

Markus, Till/Heß, Dominik/Otto, Danny/Dittmeyer, Roland (2023): Direct Air Capture Use and Storage – rechtliche und klimapolitische Hintergründe [Direct Air Capture Use and Storage - Regulatory and Climate Policy Background]. In: Zeitschrift für Umweltrecht (ZUR), 3, 131–147.

Mendrinos, Dimitrios/Karytsas, Spyridon/Polyzou, Olympia/Karytsas, Constantine/Nordø, Åsta Dyrnes/Midttømme, Kirsti/Otto, Danny/Gross, Matthias/Sprenkeling, Marit/Peuchen, Ruben/et al. (2022): Understanding Societal Requirements of CCS Projects: Application of the Societal Embeddedness Level Assessment Methodology in Four National Case Studies. In: Clean Technologies, 4 (4), 893–907.

Otto, Danny/Sprenkeling, Marit/Peuchen, Ruben/Nordø, Åsta Dyrnes/Mendrinos, Dimitrios/Karytsas, Spyridon/Veland, Siri/Polyzou, Olympia/Lien, Martha/Heggelund, Yngve/Gross, Matthias/Piek, Pim/Puts, Hanneke (2022): On the Organisation of Translation—An Inter- and Transdisciplinary Approach to Developing Design Options for CO2 Storage Monitoring Systems. In: Energies, 15 (15), 5678.

Otto, Danny/Pfeiffer, Maria/de Brito, Mariana Madruga/Gross, Matthias (2022): Fixed Amidst Change: 20 Years of Media Coverage on Carbon Capture and Storage in Germany. In: Sustainability, 14 (12), 7342.

Otto, Danny (2021): Ungleichheitssemantiken im Wandel Anregungen für eine Soziologiegeschichte sozialer Ungleichheit im Werk Peter A. Bergers. In: Hoffmann, Rasmus/Knabe, André/Schmitt, Christian (Hrsg.), Ungleichheit, Individualisierung, Lebenslauf. Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, 41–61.

Otto, Danny/Haase, Annegret (2021): How the COVID‑19 pandemic impacts social scientific research on sustainability: questions of methodology, ethics and justice: comment on Santana et al. 2021. In: Sustainability Science.

de Brito, Mariana Madruga/Otto, Danny/Kuhlicke, Christian (2021): Tracking Topics and Frames Regarding Sustainability Transformations during the Onset of the COVID-19 Crisis. In: Sustainability, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 13 (19), 11095.

Otto, Danny/Gross, Matthias (2021): Stuck on Coal and Persuasion? A Critical Review of Carbon Capture and Storage Communication. In: Energy Research & Social Science, 82, 102306.

Otto, Danny/Thoni, Terese/Wittstock, Felix/Beck, Silke (2021): Exploring Narratives on Negative Emissions Technologies in the Post-Paris Era. In: Frontiers in Climate, 3, 103.

Lehmann, Paul/de Brito, Mariana Madruga/Gawel, Erik/Groß, Matthias/Haase, Annegret/Lepenies, Robert/Otto, Danny/Schiller, Johannes/Strunz, Sebastian/Thrän, Daniela (2021): Making the COVID-19 Crisis a Real Opportunity for Environmental Sustainability. In: Sustainability Science, DOI: 10.1007/s11625-021-01003-z.

Lehmann, Paul/Beck, Silke/de Brito, Mariana Madruga/Gawel, Erik/Groß, Matthias/Haase, Annegret/Lepenies, Robert/Otto, Danny/Schiller, Johannes/Strunz, Sebastian/et al. (2021): Environmental Sustainability Post-COVID-19: Scrutinizing Popular Hypotheses from a Social Science Perspective. In: Sustainability, 13 (16), 8679.

Otto, Danny. 2020: STS goes Sociology!? Chancen und Risiken der wissenschaftssoziologischen Beforschung des eigenen Fachs. In: Wiedmann, Astrid et al. (Hrsg.): Wie Forschen mit den Science and Technology Studies. Bielefeld: Transcript, S.211-242.

Otto, Danny. 2019: Dem „Prekariat“ auf der Spur. Eine Deutungsmachtanalyse soziologischer Wissensgenerierung. Weinheim: Beltz/Juventa.

Otto, Danny. 2018: Zur Fabrikation soziologischen Wissens. Untersuchungen am Beispiel einer Deutung sozialer Ungleichheit. In: Keller, Reiner/Poferl, Angelika (Hrsg.): Wissenskulturen der Soziologie. Weinheim: Beltz/Juventa, S. 138-156.

Milewski, Nadja; Otto, Danny. 2017: The presence of a third person in face-to-face interviews with immigrant descendants: Patterns, determinants, and effects. In: Bolzman, Claudio; Bernardi, Laura; LeGoff, Jean-Marie (Hrsg.): Situating children of migrants across borders and origins. A methodological overview. Springer Netherlands. S. 91-114.

Milewski, Nadja; Otto, Danny. 2017: The importance of a religious funeral ceremony among Turkish migrants and their decendants in Germany. What role do socio-demographic characteristics play? In: Hunter, Alistair/Ammann, Eva Soon (Hrsg.): Final Journeys. Migrant End-of-life Care and Rituals in Europe. London/New York: Routledge, S. 68-84. [Reprint of Journal of Intercultural Studies 37(2)].

Otto, Danny. 2016: Die Akteur-Netzwerk-Theorie als zeitdiagnostische Metapher. In: Junge, Matthias (Hrsg.): Metaphern soziologischer Zeitdiagnosen. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, S.181-196.

Milewski, Nadja; Otto, Danny. 2016: The importance of a religious funeral ceremony among Turkish migrants and their decendants in Germany. What role do socio-demographic characteristics play? In: Journal of Intercultural Studies 37(2), S. 162-178.

Berger, Peter A.; Brumme, Robert; Cap, Clemens H.; Otto, Danny. 2014: Überwachung des digitalen Raums. Verhaltensänderung von Internetnutzern. In: Soziale Welt 65(1), S. 219-243.

Otto, Danny; Welskop, Nelly. 2014: Handlungspotentiale einer schallenden Metapher. Eine empirische Untersuchung der Metapher als Aktant. In: Junge, Matthias (Hrsg.): Methoden der Metaphernforschung und -analyse. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, S. 251-271.

Scholarships and Awards

• Peter A. Berger Award for excellent dissertations (awarded by the section "Social Inequality" of the German Sociological Association), October 2019
  
• Travel grant of the International Sociological Association for the 14th ISA International Laboratory of Ph.D. students in sociology, April 2016
  
• "Deutschlandstipendium", University of Rostock, October 2011-October 2012

Teaching    

2025
Master-Seminar: Utopian thinking? Sociological approaches to imaginations of (un)sustainable futures (Friedrich Schiller University Jena)

2024
Master-Seminar: Sustainable Futures? Environmental justice, social inequality and the imagination of climate futures (Friedrich Schiller University Jena)

2023
Master seminar: Trust and Participation: Sociological approaches to key topics of sustainability transformations (Friedrich Schiller University Jena)

Memberships

• German Sociological Association (DGS)
• European Sociological Association (ESA)
• International Sociological Association (ISA)
• Society for Social Studies of Science (4S)
• Society for Science and Technology Studies (GWTF)
  

Presentations & Organized Workshops (selection)

Otto/Gross 2025: Workshop Organisation: Real World Labs versus Solutions – Exploring Possibilities in Digital Laboratories. Summary available here.

Otto, Danny 2025: Building Trust in Energy Transitions: Lessons from the Field. Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP) Workshop: From Lab to Society: Building Impact and Acceptance. 24./25.09.2025.

Otto/Matzner 2025: Session Organisation: Just Sequestration: Unpacking the Complexities of Climate Justice in Carbon Dioxide Removal. 5. International Sociological Association (ISA) World Forum, Rabat, Morocco, 6-11 July, 2025

Otto/Matzner 2024: Regional assessment of biomass-based carbon dioxide removal and introduction of "Carbon Cascadia": A CDR removal game. Carbon Cultivation Workshop, Japan-Germany CDR collaboration. October 14-15, 2024. Leipzig.

Otto, Danny 2024: Public and Stakeholder Perception of CDR. Final Workshop: Helmholtz SynComProject “Scaling up Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)". 30.09.2024, Berlin.

Otto et al. 2024: Understanding Social Conflicts in Sustainability Transformations:Conceptual Frameworks, Research Findings, Lessons Learned and the Way Ahead. European Sociological Association (ESA) 16th Conference. Tension, Trust, Transformation. 27-30 August 2024, Porto, Portugal.

Otto 2023: DigiMon. Digital Monitoring of CO2 Storage Projects. Public Perception and Buisness Models Joint Event November 14th, 2023 Organised by the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) & Alternative Fuels Horizon 2020/Horizon Europe CLUSTER projects. Supported by CINEA - European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency. Brussels, Belgium.

Otto et al. 2023: Exploring the trust-participation nexus -Towards a relational concept of trust in energy system transformations. European Sociological Association (ESA) RN12 mid-term and Energy and society Network 6th international joint conference, 6-8 September 2023, University of Trento.

Otto et al. 2022: Does monitoring matter? Understanding the perception and societal requirements for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Germany, Greece, Norway and the Netherlands. EASST – European Association for the Study of Science and Technology, Conference “Politics of technoscientific futures”, Madrid July 6-9, 2022.

Otto et al. 2022: How to study societal requirements for little know technologies? Insights from an international research project on the perception of carbon capture and storage in Germany, Greece, Norway and the Netherlands. 3rd International Conference on Energy Research & Social Science in Manchester, June 20-23 2022.

Otto, Danny; Pfeiffer, Maria; Madruga de Brito, Mariana; Gross, Matthias. 2022: Flashbacks and Framing Loops. 20 years of media coverage on carbon capture and storage in Germany. 3rd International Conference on Energy Research & Social Science in Manchester, June 20-23 2022.

Otto, Danny. 2022: „Dazu soll ein Dialogprozess durchgeführt werden“ – Nicht ausgetragene Konflikte um Negativemissionstechnologien und industrielle Restemissionen. "Transformations- und Nachhaltigkeitskonflikte". Frühjahrstagung der Sektion Umwelt- und Nachhaltigkeitssoziologie der DGS. April 2022.

Otto, Danny; Groß, Matthias. 2021: Beyond Leakage and Communication - Reconsidering Trust in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). ESA 2021 Barcelona. September 2021.

Otto, Danny; Haase, Annegret. 2021: "Quick Fixes or Fundamental Changes?" - The Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Empirical Research in the Social Sciences. DGS-ÖGS Soziologiekongress 2021. August 2021.

Otto, Danny; Groß, Matthias. 2021: “Unwanted but unavoidable” -Revisiting the Perception of CCS Technology in Germany. 5th ESA Energy and Society Conference. February 2021.

Otto, Danny. 2020: Trust in Technologies for a Zero Carbon Future. UK-Germany Energy Symposium, Royal Academy of Engineering. October 2020.

Otto, Danny; de Brito, Mariana Madruga. 2020: Following the COVID-19 Discourse - Using Text Mining to Analyse the Debate on Sustainability Transformations in Times of Crisis. ECPR General Conference 2020, August 2020.

Otto, Danny. 2020: Pushed, Opposed, Cancelled!?! The Fates of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Projects across Europe. EASST/4S 2020 Prague, Locating and Timing Matters. Significance and Agency of STS in Emerging Worlds. August 2020.

Otto, Danny. 2019: Ungleichheitssemantiken im Wandel. Eine soziologiegeschichtliche Betrachtung der Bedingungen und Dynamiken soziologischer Ungleichheitsbeschreibung. Tagung der DGS-Sektion „Soziale Ungleichheit und Sozialstrukturanalyse“, „Soziale Ungleichheit, Individualisierung, Lebenslauf“. Rostock, 24.-25. October 2019.

Otto, Danny. 2019: Dem “Prekariat“ auf der Spur. Eine Deutungsmachtanalyse soziologischer Wissensgenierung. Kolloquium des Deutschen Zentrums für Hochschul- und Wissenschaftsforschung (DZHW). Berlin, 08. January 2019.

Otto, Danny; Ho, Jing-Mao. 2018: „Parallels between techno scientific and social scientific knowledge production“. Session organized for RC 23 (Science and Technology Studies). 18th ISA World Congress of Sociology. Toronto, 14.-21. July 2018.

Otto, Danny. 2018: Varieties of Plausibility? Power of Interpretation and the „Post-Fact“ Era. 18th ISA World Congress of Sociology. Toronto, 14.-21. July 2018.

Mackenthun, Gesa; Otto, Danny; Jarosch, Sabine. 2016: Organization of the symposium: Hermeneutic conflict, cultural entanglement, and social inequality. Power of interpretation in intersectional perspective. University of Rostock, 22.-24. September 2016.

Otto, Danny. 2016: Post-Crisis Utopia. Future orientation and sociological imagination. 3rd ISA Forum of Sociology. Universität Wien, 10.-14. July 2016.

Otto, Danny. 2016: On the traces of the "Precariat". Power of Interpretation exemplified by an interpretation of social inequality. ISA 14th International Laboratory for Ph.D. Students in Sociology. "Power, Violence and Justice", Birmingham, 1.-8. April 2016.

Otto, Danny. 2015: Zur Fabrikation soziologischen Wissens. Untersuchungen am Beispiel einer Deutung sozialer Ungleichheit. Workshop "Soziologie der Wissenskulturen. Zur Spezifik soziologischer Wissensproduktion". Universität Augsburg, 19./20. March 2015

Otto, Danny. 2015: Die Akteur-Netzwerk-Theorie als zeitdiagnostische Metapher. Workshop „Die Metaphorik soziologischer Zeitdiagnose“. Universität Rostock, 20./21. February 2015

Otto, Danny; Milewski, Nadja. 2014: Religious attitudes among Turks in Germany. The importance of a funeral ritual. IMISCOE 11th Annual Conference. Universidad Pontificia Comillas Madrid, 27-29. August 2014

Otto, Danny; Milewski, Nadja. 2012: Der Einfluss transnationaler Partnerschaften auf die Religiosität türkischer Migranten in Deutschland. Workshop „Paardynamiken in Zeiten gesellschaftlicher Diversität“, Universität Rostock 29./30.November 2012