Speakers
Description
Scientific challenges such as biodiversity loss demand research that crosses disciplinary boundaries and knowledge systems. Addressing them often requires not only interdisciplinary collaboration, but also meaningful engagement with stakeholders and other knowledge holders beyond academia.
That’s the core idea of transdisciplinary research: starting from real-world problem settings and aiming for co-creation of knowledge - bringing scientific expertise into dialogue with practical, professional, local, and experiential perspectives. Rather than treating these as ‘inputs’ to science, transdisciplinary work emphasizes joint problem framing, shared learning, and shared ownership of both questions and solutions.
But what does this kind of work actually entail in practice? What are the motivations and potential benefits - and what are the common challenges, tensions, and trade-offs (e.g., differing expectations, timelines, vocabularies, or ideas of what counts as evidence)?
In this World Café–style workshop on inter- and transdisciplinary research, participants will rotate through small-group discussions with three researchers who have hands-on experience in both interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary projects. Each table will focus on a guiding question related to transdisciplinary synthesis—such as integrating diverse knowledge systems, navigating interdisciplinary teamwork, shaping and using data infrastructures, or rethinking ecological research practices. The format is interactive and reflective: the facilitators will share their experiences, invite questions, and discuss openly with participants.
About:
Cristina A. de la Vega-Leinert is a senior researcher at the German Institute for Integrative Biodiversity Research. Her work is grounded in exchange with stakeholders at different levels, with a particular focus on synergies and trade-offs between conservation and land use, particularly on Europe’s (coastal) agricultural peatlands and forest frontiers in Latin America.
Thore Engel is an interdisciplinary ecologist and Postdoc at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research. Beside his research that revolves around biodiversity change in space and time, quantitative methods and participatory research, Thore initiated an artist-in-residence series that brought artists and scientists together to foster collaboration and open up new ways of exploring research questions.
Maya Bosch is a doctoral candidate at the German Institute for Integrative Biodiversity Research. She has experience working with school students, particularly through citizen science projects and participatory research formats.