Just to the south-east of Berlin, at the end of S-Bahn line 3 is Erkner, a 12.000 soul town in the state of Brandenburg known for its industrial heritage, its beautiful lakes – and an internationally renowned social science research institution it houses: The Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS). Formerly dedicated to spatial planning and reginal development, IRS now researches dynamics of social change past and present, from climate and energy policies to innovation and digitalization, from migration and urban regeneration to the history of planning. In our podcast Society@Space, both IRS researchers and guests of IRS talk about their passion for questions that matter, their inspirations and experiences, their engagement with practical societal problems and their thoughts on what it means to be a social scientist today. Everyone who is curious about the avenues modern societies are taking and how researchers grapple with the changes and challenges we face – intellectually, emotionally, personally – will find this fascinating to listen to. Episode languages shift between German and English. https://leibniz-irs.de/