Making sense of transdisciplinarity: Interpreting science policy in a biotechnology centre

Hesjedal, Maria Bårdsen; Åm, Heidrun

doi:10.1093/scipol/scac055

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…To address complex societal issues, the concept of transdisciplinarity is increasingly being utilized in research policy to encourage new forms of research collaboration with non-academic actors, although definitions and theoretical emphases of 'transdisciplinarity' vary (Hesjedal, Åm, 2023). The concept pertains to the integration of expertise from various academic fields and non-academic entities to tackle intricate and ambiguous problems that affect society.…”

Section: Transdisciplinaritymentioning

confidence: 99%

Fostering Digital Skills and Competencies in Higher Education

2023

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Section: Transdisciplinaritymentioning

confidence: 99%

Fostering Digital Skills and Competencies in Higher Education

2023

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“…Definitions and interpretations of the term "transdisciplinarity" vary significantly [33]. Often, transdisciplinarity is understood as increased coordination between different scientific disciplines.…”

Section: Transdisciplinaritymentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Ethnography? Our Experiences in the Use of SenseMaker for Understanding Gendered Climate Vulnerabilities amongst Marginalized Agrarian Communities

Joshi

Panagiotou²,

Bisht

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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Digital innovations and interventions can potentially revolutionize agri-food systems, especially in coping with climate challenges. On a similar note, digital research tools and methods are increasingly popular for the efficient collection and analysis of real-time, large-scale data. It is claimed that these methods can also minimize subjective biases that are prevalent in traditional qualitative research. However, given the digital divide, especially affecting women and marginalized communities, these innovations could potentially introduce further disparities. To assess these contradictions, we piloted SenseMaker, a digital ethnography tool designed to capture individual, embodied experiences, biases, and perceptions to map vulnerabilities and resilience to climate impacts in the Gaya District in Bihar. Our research shows that this digital tool allows for a systematic co-design of the research framework, allows for the collection of large volumes of data in a relatively short time, and a co-analysis of the research data by the researchers and the researched. This process allowed us to map and capture the complexities of intersectional inequalities in relation to climate change vulnerability. However, we also noted that the application of the tool is influenced by the prior exposure to technology (digital devices) of both the enumerators and researched groups and requires significant resources when implemented in contexts where there is a need to translate the data from local dialects and languages to more dominant languages (English). Most importantly, perceptions, positionalities, and biases of researchers can significantly impact the design of the tool’s signification framework, reiterating the fact that researcher bias persists regardless of technological innovations in research methodology.

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“…This report, as well as additional research (see Hesjedal and Åm forthcoming), shows that transdisciplinarity in practice is used as interdisciplinarity in Centre for Digital Life Norway, and I therefore do not distinguish between inter- and transdisciplinarity in this context, despite the differences in scholarly definitions.…”

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confidence: 99%

Socializing Scientists into Interdisciplinarity by Placemaking in a Multi-sited Research Center

Hesjedal

2022

Science, Technology, & Human Values

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The importance of physical place for interdisciplinary research collaborations is often taken for granted by scientists and policy makers. One result of this is a trend of funding interdisciplinary research centers where scientists are colocated in the same building. Previous research findings on the matter are, however, ambiguous and show that though geographical proximity clearly matters, proximity is insufficient to foster interdisciplinary collaboration. This paper is based on an ethnographic study of a multi-sited Norwegian biotechnology research center—the Centre for Digital Life Norway (DLN), funded in 2015 to stimulate a transition in biotechnology research toward inter- and transdisciplinarity and digitalization. The multi-sited character makes DLN different from the much-studied trend of colocation of research groups in research centers. The paper asks: how are scientists socialized into an interdisciplinary mentality in a multi-sited research center? The analysis focus on three aspects: place, socialization, and the role of affective features and experiences. The paper’s main contribution is to demonstrate the role of placemaking in motivating for inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration, in particular by allowing for development of affective relations among the participating scientists.

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Making sense of transdisciplinarity: Interpreting science policy in a biotechnology centre

Cited by 4 publications

References 35 publications

Fostering Digital Skills and Competencies in Higher Education

Fostering Digital Skills and Competencies in Higher Education

Digital Ethnography? Our Experiences in the Use of SenseMaker for Understanding Gendered Climate Vulnerabilities amongst Marginalized Agrarian Communities

Socializing Scientists into Interdisciplinarity by Placemaking in a Multi-sited Research Center

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