How Local Knowledge and Science Come Together to Inform Practical Action
Transdisciplinary research does not simply study societal challenges from the outside. It brings researchers and practitioners together to define problems, combine different forms of knowledge and develop solutions collaboratively.
Benjamin Hofmann and Shiila Infriccioli share insights from their work at ETH Zurich’s Transdisciplinarity Lab. Their conversation explores:
What distinguishes transdisciplinary from interdisciplinary research
How the Anthro project examines changing science–society relations in climate change hotspots
What students learn from working with stakeholders in the Transdisciplinary Case Study in the Swiss Alps
How the UPSCALE project combines scientific data with the local knowledge of forest practitioners
Why co-design can make monitoring tools more relevant and scientifically robust
Which tensions researchers face between stakeholder engagement, publications and academic careers
How organizations such as saguf and td-net create spaces for exchange, learning and legitimacy.
Dr. Benjamin Hofmann is a group leader at the USYS Transdisciplinarity Lab at ETH Zurich. His research focuses on science–society relations and climate change adaptation.
Shiila Infriccioli is a doctoral researcher at the USYS Transdisciplinarity Lab. As part of the UPSCALE project, she works at the interface of forest science, digital monitoring and forest practice.
https://tdlab.usys.ethz.ch/
Benjamin Hofmann
Shiila Infriccioli
Anthro project
UPSCALE project
Network for Transdisciplinary Research – td-net
Swiss Academic Society for Environmental Research and Ecology – saguf