The Guest and Fellowship Programme funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung enables an active involvement of relevant actors of transdisciplinary research in the tdAcademy. Researchers, also targeting specifically Early Career Researchers from the global south and global north, have the opportunity to widen their network, exchange their research experiences, discuss the latest developments of transdisciplinary research, and present their own research to the global community. Guests and fellows can work individually or collaboratively on specific topics, write publications or position papers and develop innovative approaches and ideas.

Application Information

The tdAcademy project will be completed in May 2025, which is why no new applications for a fellowship can be accepted.

We would like to thank all previous applicants as well as our fellows for their cooperation and valuable contribution to transdisciplinary research.

If you have any questions about the fellowships please contact our office.

Fellows of the tdAcademy

Peter Wehling

is a guest at ISOE from May to June 2021, where he is doing research on institutional resistances to transdisciplinarity.

'As a guest at ISOE, I would like to support the tdAcademy by critically examining both common biases and institutional structures in science which prevent transdisciplinarity from having a stronger scientific impact.'

contact

Regina Rhodius

is a fellow at Oeko-Institut e.V., contributing her Real-World-Lab expertise to research on innovative formats in the td context.

'As fellow of both tdAcademy und Oeko-Institut, I am looking forward to a joint reflection on the fast-developing landscape of new formats.'

contact

Gemma Tejedor Papell

is a guest at ZTG in July and September 2021, researching on transdisciplinary engineering education for sustainability.

'I’d like to support the tdAcademy by deepening into both transdisciplinary education for sustainability in engineering, and methods for monitoring the research (societal) effects in the field. A Summer School prototype on Transdisciplinarity and Sustainability in Education, focused on Technical Universities, will be advanced.'

contact

Livia Fritz

is a guest at ZTG and Leuphana University from October to December 2021, exploring hegemonies in university transformations towards transdisciplinarity.

'As a fellow group of the tdAcademy, we aim at digging deeper into Gramsci’s concept of hegemony to explore its potential in grasping dynamics and relationalities in transformations of universities towards inter- and transdisciplinarity.'

contact

Dena Fam

is a guest at ZTG from October to December 2021, advancing her research on transformation of universities towards dynamic and relational inter- and transdisciplinary institutions.

'As a fellow group of the tdAcademy, we aim at digging deeper into Gramsci’s concept of hegemony to explore its potential in grasping dynamics and relationalities in transformations of universities towards inter- and transdisciplinarity.'

contact

Ulli Vilsmaier

is a guest at ZTG from October to December 2021, researching into Gramsci’s concept of hegemonies in relation to transdisciplinarity.

'As a fellow group of the tdAcademy, we aim at digging deeper into Gramsci’s concept of hegemony to explore its potential in grasping dynamics and relationalities in transformations of universities towards inter- and transdisciplinarity.'

contact

Juliana Merçon

is affilated with the tdAcademy fellow group of Livia Fritz, Dena Fam and Ulli Vilsmaier to support their conceptual explorations from a Latin American research praxis.

'As a fellow group of the tdAcademy, we aim at digging deeper into Gramsci’s concept of hegemony to explore its potential in grasping dynamics and relationalities in transformations of universities towards inter- and transdisciplinarity.'

contact

Rachel Claus

is doing research on methods for measuring research contributions to change processes. She is part of a tdAcademy fellow group together with Janet Harris, coordinated by ZTG.

'I am happy to support the tdAcademy by bringing experience from theory-based research outcome evaluation to improve methods for assessing transdisciplinary research.'

contact

Janet Harris

conducts research exploring how involvement across different stakeholder groups contributes to the process and outcomes of research. She is part of a tdAcademy fellow group together with Rachel Claus and coordinated by ZTG.

'As a fellow group member, I am looking forward to working with the tdAcademy to explore approaches to monitoring research impact.'

contact

Sarah Burch

is working with the tdAcademy to explore the effect of socio-cultural and economic context on transdisciplinary research.

'As a tdAcademy fellow, I am very happy to support this community as we explore the dynamic relationships between transdisciplinary sustainability research and the governance of sustainability transitions in local spaces, including experimentation in the small business sector.'

contact

Sabine Hoffmann

is a guest at ZTG in May 2022, exploring societal change processes towards sustainability.

"As a fellow at ZTG, I am happy to support the tdAcademy, bringing in my experiences and insights from developing ‘Theories of Change’ and integrating them at conceptual and empirical level."

contact

Gemma O’Sullivan

is a member of the fellow group 'Transdisciplinary Learning towards Collective Transformation'.

'As a fellow at tdAcademy, I seek to draw on educational science to develop our understanding of transdisciplinary teaching and learning methodologies (including challenge-based learning). My goal is to build an evidence base to enable universities to effectively innovate their educational and research systems to facilitate collective action in the face of global challenges.' 

contact

Zainal Abidin Sanusi

as a member of the tdAcademy fellow group 'Context: Building relations across contexts in transdisciplinary research' he is developing content and context for a Capacity Building Program for TD.

'As a tdAcademy fellow, I will be focusing on identifying major principles and practices needed to enable transdisciplinary learning environment with action-embedded framework. The expected outcomes are the contents and criteria of context required for a capacity building program for Transdisciplinarity'.

contact

David Manuel-Navarrete

is co-designing bioeconomic models to generate local income, disincentivize deforestation, support Indigenous biocultures, and encourage a reconnection with the Amazon rainforest.

"I am excited to work with the fellow group on 'Context' to understand how to create reciprocal and regenerative relationships amongst researchers,  the local people as well as non-humans and places they interact with.'

contact

Bin Bin Pearce

is part of the fellow group 'Transdisciplinary Learning Towards Collective Transformation' and does research on problem framing and policy design for the energy transition.

'As a fellow group member, we aim to bring together existing knowledge and practice on transdisciplinary learning. These ideas will be brought together in the development of a Cost Action proposal.'

contact

Ulrike Zeshan

is a linguist who also specialises in Serious Games. She is part of the fellow group 'Transdisciplinary Learning towards Collective Transformation'.

'As a tdAcademy fellow I aim to contribute my expertise in developing and researching Serious Games for learning and collaboration. I am interested in how cross-sectoral groups communicate and work together.'

contact

Paula Bögel

is part of the fellow group on narratives for inclusive transformations in science and society. She is doing research on individual and collective action from a psychological perspective.

'As a tdAcademy fellow, I look forward to bringing disciplinary knowledge from research together with practical knowledge in order to jointly develop narratives for sustainability transformations'.

contact

Meike Levin-Keitel

is part of the fellow group on narratives for inclusive transformations in science and society. She explores narratives of transformation towards sustainability from a spatial planning perspective.

'As a tdAcademy fellow, I look forward to bringing disciplinary knowledge from research together with practical knowledge in order to jointly develop narratives for sustainability transformations.'

contact

Karoline Augenstein

is part of the fellow group on narratives for inclusive transformations in science and society. She studies the role of narratives in transformation processes and is particularly interested in narratives of change as enablers of collective action in real-world laboratories.

'As a tdAcademy fellow, I look forward to bringing disciplinary knowledge from research together with practical knowledge in order to jointly develop narratives for sustainability transformations.'

contact

Jillian Student

focuses on TD research and education in the context of environmental change. She is part of the fellow group 'Transdisciplinary Learning Towards Collective Transformation'.

'As a tdAcademy fellow, I aim to contribute to knowledge on td research and education from the Dutch context and learn from the tdAcademy network. During visits to tdAcademy institutes, my group and I will explore collaborative opportunities on transdisciplinary practices and learning as we develop a Cost Action proposal.'

view profile contact

María D. López Rodríguez

is a guest at the SESI (Social-Ecological Systems Institute) at Leuphana University from April to May 2023, where she is doing research on innovative art-based td-research methods to engage multiple actors and support their mobilization for collective action in sustainable governance.

'During my stay at Leuphana University, I want to explore how td processes can be improved by using art-based research. The insights will shed light on how coupling conventional cognitive tools with art-based techniques can help expand conventional epistemologies towards practical, embodied and emotional domains in td research'.

contact

Charles Hopkins

is a guest at the Leuphana University to explore td perspectives on sustainability and quality education with a focus on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in the community.

'As a guest at Leuphana University, I intend to initiate a td community dialogue with stakeholders in the Lüneburg region to localize the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to determine relevant sustainability issues, and to create suggestions for education responses to be embedded in teacher education institutions with ESD at the core.'

contact

Alicia Jiménez

is a guest at the Leuphana University from April to May 2023, where she will explore the concept of whole institution approach for sustainability as a td approach, in the area of ESD.

'As a guest at Leuphana University, my intention is to further explore the transdisciplinarity of the whole institution approach for sustainability applied in education institutions (primary, secondary and higher education), and how this perspective can serve to further education’s mission to be transformative as to contribute to finding solutions for the sustainability issues we are facing.'

contact

Richard Beecroft

is a sustainability scientist with a special interest in the interplay of futures thinking, transformative learning and sustainability transitions – using Real-world Labs as an environment for transdisciplinarity.

'As a fellow of TdAcademy, I will contribute my experience in Real-world Lab research to our exchange, to jointly learn about the patterns of participation, transformation and research at the healt-city-sustainability nexus.'

contact

Guido Caniglia

works on the interconnected epistemological, ethical, and political foundations of transdisciplinary sustainability science. He is part of the fellow group “Transdisciplinary research and its scientific impact“.

'In the fellow group, I will contribute to strengthening how we think about and assess the scientific impact of transdisciplinary and participatory research at the health-environment intersection.'

contact

Evelyne de Leeuw

connects cities, health and politics. She is part of the fellow group “Transdisciplinary research and its scientific impact“.

“As a tdAcademy fellow, I will explore the scholarly and thought benefits and synergies of work at the interstitial spaces in and between cities, health and wellbeing, and policy/politics. Our Fellow Group will formulate propositions for the role of Living Labs in advancing transdisciplinarity.”

contact

Alfred Rütten

focuses on interactive knowledge-to-action approaches and their societal and scientific impact. He is part of the fellow group “Transdisciplinary research and its scientific impact“.

'Given my background in theory and practice of collaborative approaches towards social change, I will support our fellow group’s work on the impact of transdisciplinarity on the structural development of the scientific system.'

contact

Jana Semrau

works on the sustainable implementation and scaling-up of population-based health promotion measures in municipalities with a focus on health equity. She is part of the fellow group “Transdisciplinary research and its scientific impact“.

“As a tdAcademy fellow, I will focus on the bridging between transdiciplinary health research and sustainability research in terms of theories and collaborative approaches"

contact

Isabella M. Radhuber

Isabella M. Radhuber is at ITAS in Karlsruhe from October 2023 to January 2024 and is researching the effects of climate change on our health from a transdisciplinary perspective.

“As a tdAcademy fellow, I will explore the challenges arising from the interactions between climate and health through a situation analysis ("translating" between different actors/actants).”

contact

Leila Niamir

Leila Niamir is member of tdAcademy fellow group on improving critical social science skills in transdisciplinary transformative change initiatives, which meets with ISOE in Frankfurt in November 2023.

'In my role as a tdAcademy fellow, my central emphasis is on the role of grassroots movements, equity, and justice in shaping the concept of transformation. Within our team, we concentrate on bridging and enhancing social science skills in transdisciplinary transformative change initiatives.'

contact

André Mascarenhas

André Mascarenhas is a tdAcademy fellow visiting ISOE to work on the topic of transformative change.

'As a tdAcademy fellow at ISOE, I aim at contributing to the question ‘What is a good transformation’ with critical insights from the perspective of human-nature relations, with a focus on urban planning'.

contact

Alexandra Polido

Alexandra Polido is visiting ISOE in November 2023 to revise transformation concepts for transdisciplinarity.

'As a fellow, I support the td-Academy by critically revising fundamental transformation concepts and frameworks., particularly concerning the involvement of agency and power in shaping the definition of a positive transformation and understanding the need to reformulate these frameworks.'

contact

Hanna Ahlström

Hanna Ahlström is a member of the tdAcademy fellow group on good transformation and will contribute to the project and the affiliated publications.

'As a member of the group on good transformation, I am excited to continue collaborating with stellar colleagues and I will contribute with insights on resilience, transdisciplinarity, law and governance.'

contact

Sara Maestre Andrés

Sara Maestre Andrés is a researcher at ICTA-UAB contributing to the tdAcademy fellow group on good transformation by exploring the potential of transformative nature-based solutions to just and resilient cities.

'As a member of the tdAcademy fellow group on good transformation, I want to critically reflect on the role of transdisciplinary governance structures and knowledge production processes in defining and building just transformations.'

contact

Marco Teixeira

Marco Teixeira is a member of the fellowship group 'ICSSS in TTCIs' and researches the role of social movements in transforming food politics.

'As a tdAcademy fellow, I am excited to participate in debates surrounding socio-ecological transformation. I bring my experience working on the role of social movements for a good transformation from a sociological perspective and look forward to learning from other fellows and the ISOE team.'

contact

Benjamin Hofmann

Benjamin Hofmann is member of the fellow group on good transformation, which meets with ISOE in Frankfurt in November 2023.

'As a member of the fellow group on good transformation, I want to critically reflect on the role of science in relation to other societal actors in defining what sustainable transformations should look like in policy and practice.'

contact

Sierra Deutsch

Sierra Deutsch focuses on how to put critical social theory into practice in transformative change initiatives to facilitate more just transformations. 

'In the td Fellow Group ‘Improving critical social science skills in transdisciplinary transformative change initiatives,’ she will co-develop a sample training tool to provide critical social theory skills to participants in transdisciplinary projects.'

contact

Franziska Ehnert

Franziska Ehnert is a guest at ISOE in November 2023, where she explores what are ‘good’ transformations and who gets to shape them.

"As a research follow, I want to encourage dialogue and reflection on the ambiguities and paradoxes of sustainability transformations, exploring the disconnects and tensions between just and unjust or empowering and disempowering transformations."

contact

Lisa Bossenbroek

is a guest at ISOE in November 2023, where she explores what are ‘good’ transformations and who gets to shape them.

'I’m excited to discuss questions related to 'good transformation' in sustainability science with other researchers. Who gets to define this, which voices are heard, which are not, and how can we (researchers engaging with such questions) perhaps develop an understanding of “good transformation” that is socially inclusive and locally sound? For me, the tdAcademy offers a space to discuss those issues critically.'

contact

Jasmin Jossin

is at the tdAcademy in November 2023, where she is working with other fellows and guests from the ISOE Institute on the question of what a good transformation is.

'Everyone in our group researches and works in the field of transdisciplinarity and transformation. However, we all have different understandings and focuses. I am very much looking forward to the exchange and, as a psychologist, I will contribute in particular the perspective on inner transformation processes and transformative learning.'

contact

Elisabeth Berger

She visited ISOE in November 2023 to discuss normative aspects of transformation research.

“I am excited that the tdAcademy offered me the opportunity to reflect together with other researchers upon the questions: ’How to define a GOOD transformation in transdisciplinary research processes? And how might methods from the critical social sciences support this aim?’”

contact

Amanda Jiménez Aceituno

She attended the workshop of the fellow group celebrated at the Senckenberg Institute Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BIK-F) (Frankfurt) from November 20th to 23rd.

“During our days in Frankfurt, we discussed what a good transformation is and who gets to define it using the lenses of critical social sciences. I believe these questions are of key relevance for transdisciplinary scholars in the td-Academy”

contact

Stephanie Moser

is researching the different impacts of transdisciplinary research as a fellow at the Center for Technology and Society at TU Berlin in August 2024.

'I'm looking forward to deepening and broadening our shared understanding of social impacts of transdisciplinary research, as well as to enlarge our knowledge on corresponding  pathways to impacts and their many challenges for science and practice.'

contact

Fellow Groups

Transdisciplinary Research and its Scientific Impact

The Fellow Group "Transdisciplinary Research and its Scientific Impact: Insights and implications from health research and sustainability research on interconnected health-environmental challenges, collaborative approaches, and structural development in science" is composed of Richard Beecroft (KIT-Center Humans & Technology, DE), Guido Caniglia (Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research (KLI), AT), Evelyne de Leeuw UNSW Australia Research Centre for Primary Health Care & Equity, AUS), Alfred Rütten (Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, DE), Jana Semrau (Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, DE).

The fellows will be focusing on advancing the study of the interface between sustainability research and health research, which has been little researched so far. The group seeks to strengthen transdisciplinary approaches through conducting a systematic inventory of existing research at the aforementioned interface in order to gain a better empirically based understanding of the scientific effects of transdisciplinary research in this field. In doing so, the group hopes to gain new insights regarding both the methodological and theoretical advancement of transdisciplinary research.

Starting in June 2023, the group will meet several times online as well as in a face-to-face meeting at ISOE.

Institutions

The fellow group consisting of Dena Fam (UTS, AU), Livia Fritz (EPFL, CH), Ulli Vilsmaier (Responsive Research, CH) with Juliana Mercon (University of Veracruz, MX) as associated member focuses on the transformation of universities towards dynamic and relational inter- and transdisciplinary institutions through the lens of Antiono Gramsci's concept of hegemony. The groups objectives are: to understand how universities develop and implement strategies, integrated practices, and organizational models that enable inter- and transdisciplinary research and teaching as well as to develop a perspective that accounts for the broader societal, i.e. political-historical, economic and socio-cultural context conditions that enable or hinder such transformations. The intensive working phase of the fellow group was between October and December 2021. This publication was produced as part of the Fellowship: The Responsive and Constitutive Character of Transdisciplinarity: Consequences for Higher Education (Fam, Dena, & Vilsmaier, Ulli (2022). The Responsive and Constitutive Character of Transdiciplinarity: Consequences for Higher Education, Journal of educational studies,21(2), 30–50.) Learn more

Societal Impact

The fellow group consisting of Rachel Claus (Royal Roads University, CA), Janet Harris (University of Sheffield, UK) as well as Josefa Kny and Martina Schäfer (both ZTG, TU Berlin, DE) from the tdAcademy team deals with approaches and methods of impact assessment and evaluation in transdisciplinary or participatory research in the three fields of research for development, sustainability and (public) health. The group has been working together continuously and decentrally since summer 2021. Learn more

Context: Building relations across contexts in transdisciplinary research

The fellow group consisting of David Manuel-Navarrette (School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, US), Sarah Burch (University of Waterloo, CA), Zainal Abidin Bin Sanusi (International Islamic University, MY) and Bagele Chilisa (Faculty of Education, University of Botswana, BW) will work on context dependencies of transdisciplinary research. They will pursue a self-reflective and explorative approach through which they will collaboratively study the value and dynamics of relations in transdisciplinary research. A central component of these considerations will also be the reflection on one's own experiences with relationships as a researcher, whereby, in addition to the personal level, a historical perspective on the production and recognition of knowledge(s) in relations is important to the fellows.

Transdisciplinary Learning towards Collective Transformation

In this fellow group, Gemma O'Sullivan (EWUU Alliance, NL), BinBin Pearce (Delft University of Technology, NL), Jillian Student (Wageningen University & Research, NL) and Ulrike Zeshan (University of Central Lancashire, UK) jointly work on the topic of TD Teaching and Learning. The group aims to address knowledge gaps related to TD curricula that are centred around the development of competencies to address societal challenges connected to sustainable development. The fellows want to explore to which extent TD concepts and methods may be merged with other action-oriented approaches to learning (e.g. challenge-based learning, participatory action research, transitions management research). Additionally, the group would like to investigate the conditions that help fostering lifelong learning competencies among actors in the field of education and transdisciplinary research. They envision outputs in the areas of network formation, evaluation of research, bringing together best practice examples, and communication about TD learning.

The group will meet four times between Winter 2022 and Summer 2023. Each time, they will be hosted by a different tdAcademy institution to promote knowledge sharing among the team and the four different institutions.

Fostering inclusivity and transformative action through narratives in transdisciplinary processes

The fellow group around Paula Maria Bögel (Universität Vechta, DE), Karoline Augenstein (Bergische Universität Wuppertal, DE) and Meike Levin-Keitel (TU Dortmund, DE) has the objective to develop a narrative perspective on analyzing mechanisms of change and to derive design principles for narratives in TD research formats, such as real-world labs. In this way, the group aims to contribute to more inclusivity in TD knowledge and to foster exchange with practitioners.The fellows would like to align their work with some of the following questions: How can abstract data and facts about sustainability challenges be translated into personally meaningful narratives? How are specific identities at individual and collective levels formed through narrative, and the other way around? How can narrative processes (e.g. joint storytelling in real-world labs) foster trust, accountability and collective action? Planned outputs are the design principles for narratives in transdisciplinary research, the exchange with the wider TD community through hosting discussions, the public dissemination of their results on several platforms and a final publication on their work. The Fellow Group has created an online course that aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of narratives in transformation. The full content of the course "Narratives in Sustainability Transformations" can be found in our capacity building section and includes video lectures, interviews and case studies.

Transdisciplinarity for Holistic Sustainability Education: New Learning Approaches

The fellows Alicia Jiménez (Earth Charter Secretariat, CR) and Charles Hopkins (York University, CAN) will work on transforming Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) with transdisciplinary innovative approaches. The objective of their fellowship is to deepen the discussion around the changes needed to create education processes that serve the common good, to contribute solving real world complex problems, and to explore ESD in a local context.

They will investigate assessment methods for value based ESD processes in higher education institutions. They intend to develop a quality seal for ESD that incorporates an ethical perspective on sustainability. They also jointly aim to develop an in-service teacher training module that will empower schools to become agents of social transformation. In addition, they will collaborate with the residents of Lüneburg through community dialogues to create a blueprint for engaging the public in identifying relevant local ESD themes. The fellows will discuss their work results together with Leuphana staff members and students involved in education research and learning.

In the period from April to May 2023, Alica Jiménez and Charles Hopkins will work together at the Leuphana University.

What is a “good” Transformation and Who gets to define It?

The Fellow Group “What is a “good” transformation and who gets to define it?” is composed of Benjamin Hofmann (Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, CH), Elisabeth Berger (iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserlautern-Landau, DE), Franziska Ehnert (Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, DE), Alexandra Polido (GOVCOPP, DCSPT, University of Aveiro, PT), Jasmin Jossin (German Institute of Urban Affairs, DE), Lisa Bossenbroek (iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserlautern-Landau, DE), Hanna Ahlström (Earth System Governance research fellow, NO) und Sara Maestre (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, ES).

The fellows will be focusing on questions around what transformation actually means, how to know what a “good” transformation is, how power dynamics between societal actors can be understood and what the implications are for the “ideal” transdisciplinary process in the phase of problem-framing and identification of a desirable future (target knowledge)? The fellow group works on how this issue can be better conceptualized and approached in situations where there is no consensus on what is a “good” transformation?

Starting in August 2023, the group will meet several times online as well as in a face-to-face meeting together with fellow group “Improving critical social science skills in transdisciplinary transformative change initiatives (ICSSS in TTCIs)” in Frankfurt at the end of November 2023. The group plans to host a tdAcademy webinar and discuss their findings at the end of the fellowship.

Improving critical Social Science skills in Transdisciplinary Transformative change Initiatives.

The Fellow Group “Improving critical social science skills in transdisciplinary transformative change initiatives (ICSSS in TTCIs)” is composed of Sierra Deutsch (University of Zurich, CH), Amanda Jiménez Aceituno (Stockholm Resilience Center, SE), André Mascarenhas (Institute of Landscape Planning and Ecology, University of Stuttgart, DE), Marco Teixeira (Freie Universität Berlin, DE), Leila Niamir (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), AT).

The fellows will be focusing on how to improve critical social science skills in transdisciplinary transformative change initiatives as transdisciplinary teams often lack the skills and knowledge to meaningfully engage critical social theory in TTCI processes and practices. The fellow group will develop a training concept to provide critical social theory skills to participants in transdisciplinary projects. The training will outline a facilitation process for TTCIs to teach strategies and tools to engage with critical social theory.

Starting in August 2023, the group will meet several times online as well as in a face-to-face meeting together with fellow group “What is a “good” transformation and who gets to define it?” in Frankfurt at the end of November 2023. The group plans to host a tdAcademy webinar and discuss their findings at the end of the fellowship.