Source: L. Ostermann, 2023
Background:
Dr. Jasmin Wiefek has been a member of the tdAcademy team since June 2023, marking the beginning of the second funding phase. She has been affiliated with the Center for Technology and Society (ZTG) at TU Berlin since November 2021. In her current project, 'Biodiversity Valuing & Valuation' (BioVal), she is conducting a formative evaluation to guide the inter- and transdisciplinary research process in an impact-oriented manner.
Before joining ZTG, Jasmin Wiefek conducted research at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, the Norbert Elias Center for Transformation Design and Research, and the Environmental Psychology research group. Her research focused on inter- and transdisciplinary transformation and sustainability research, emphasizing sustainable production and consumption, degrowth, and the Economy for the Common Good. Jasmin Wiefek has completed additional training in permaculture, wilderness education, and sociocracy. As a co-founder of the collective 'Club der guten Zukunft' and the managing director of 'Wiefek & Kny Transformation Dialog,' she collaborates with other transformation experts, as well as specialists and managers, on strategies for socio-ecological transformation.
What do you find interesting about transdisciplinary research?
'What I find particularly fascinating about transdisciplinary research is the collaboration with scientists from other disciplines and with people from outside the scientific context. It is always challenging and at the same time interesting to approach a topic from a completely different discipline and to immerse myself in the day-to-day work of practitioners. The close cooperation between science and practice means that research is directly subjected to a 'reality check'. I also enjoy seeing how everyone learns from each other in the joint process - both in terms of content and beyond. At best, everyone in the project develops a more comprehensive understanding of the topic under research and learns to communicate in such a way that people outside their respective disciplines can also understand their work.
What is your role in the tdAcademy project and what do you find exciting about it?
'My main responsibility lies in the further development of the website and the editorial work for the website, the newsletter, etc. I am also in contact with the association for transdisciplinary and participatory research (GTPF) to work out together how the tdAcademy can be transferred to the association. What is particularly exciting about my work is to see the wide range of activities, events and publications in the field of transdisciplinary and participatory research.'