You, Me & HIFMB - Stories of Science and the Sea

In today's episode, we have our very own director Helmut Hillebrand! He chats to us about the history of how the institute was created (you can follow along here: https://hifmb.de/institute/history/). We also talk about how he became HIFMB's director on top of (!!) being the Professor for Plankton Ecology at the University of Oldenburg. 

Take it away, Helmut!

In this episode, Jan welcomes Daniela Portella Sampaio for a conversation about her scientific journey through Antarctica and current research on Antarctic governance. We particularly focus on Antarctic intersectionality research. Daniela also shares memorable moments from the field (like finding a historic shoe) and tips on how to successfully score grants - she scored 2 (!!) Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowships! Tune in for a return to our regular interview-style format.

Today in another European Commission Edition episode, I talked to Sahar Stevenson-Jones. She is working at SERE (The Society for Ecological Restoration Europe) and there she is the Project Officer for the Marine Restoration Project.

Enjoy the episode! All the best from Brussels.

HIFMB's Transfer Office was attending the Knowledge Exchange Network for Marine Biodiversity Cluster Event at the European Research Executive Agency (REA) of the European Commission (EC).  Here in Brussels, I interviewed participants of the event - one of them being Paris Vasilakopoulos - today's guest. Paris works at the EC, specifically the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and, among many topics, we talk about his role in the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD). Enjoy these short episodes of the podcast coming to you straight from Brussels!

Episode overview

This episode covers the essentials of social science research in terms of practical concerns and ethical considerations. It firstly spends some time, thinking about time! How researchers can plan projects within specific timeframes, budgetary constraints, possible travel restrictions, and how to also think on vital matters of risk, health and safety in doing social research. The podcast secondly shifts to ethical principles, discussing the importance of taking ethical approaches and engaging formal ethical procedures when working with human subjects. The episode considers matters such as informed consent, confidentiality, and minimising harm and how ethics is not just about forms and approvals but treating people with respect, ensuring their well-being, and building trust. We also offer ‘top tips’.

You can tag us on social media #SocialScienceMatters

Supporting readings

There is a light introduction to practicalities of doing social science research, time, cost, logistics, health, safety and ethics here:

This chapter covers the essentials of health and safety in social science work:

On ethics specifically, listeners may find the following useful:

Supporting websites

Do you want to know more about ethics? These websites may help (we are not responsible for external content)

Episode overview

This episode shifts our focus to how we might start to think about social worlds in our research. It outlines that how we look at the world – the assumptions we hold about it (what exists, how we know what exists) – is crucial to our start points in research, and drives the kind of questions we might ask about the world. This podcast explores the role of theory (and how it is something we are all using, all of the time anyway!) and positions theory as a useful (rather than intimidating) framework for understanding and interpreting the social world. The episode further considers how theory – thinking about the way we view the world – can open space towards valuing knowledges beyond Western understandings. Finally we consider how the way we think about the world, what we want to find out about it, will also guide the kinds of research questions we ask about it, and choice of methods we engage.

You can tag us on social media #SocialScienceMatters.

Supporting readings

In this podcast we discuss how social science can be integrated with natural sciences – providing a different lens for looking at the world (and marine problems). These articles all deal with integration of marine social sciences with natural sciences:

In this podcast we discuss how there are other knowledge systems – ways in which the world can be understood. These are the cited sources:

These papers deal with how theory matters as a framework to understanding. Peters’ article covers why ‘thinking’ and ‘theory’ – ontology (what we know about the world) – matters to marine social science research. No policy work, no work about people is outside of how we think about it. Conde et al’s paper covers this in practice, showing how the ways in which we understand the seabed, shape its practical governance. The Steinberg and Peters paper is the one Kim apologies for, for interested readers!

There is a light introduction to theory, in this textbook, and associated ‘study’ website:

Episode overview

This episode tackles the fundamental question: What is social science, and why does it matter for marine research? We first (try to) define social science, discussing the various disciplines which constitute it, and briefly introduce the methods and approaches that will be discussed further, later in the series. We next discuss marine social science, its special and important place in the marine sciences more broadly, and how it can help us tackle important questions that the natural sciences can’t do alone. We furthermore outline the importance, then, of interdisciplinary work, drawing also on examples of our own projects.

You can tag us on social media #SocialScienceMatters.

Supporting readings

These readings outline marine social science and set out its ‘manifesto’. They also show the most recent research directions of the marine social sciences:

There is a light introduction to methods mentioned in the podcast, in this textbook, and associated ‘study’ website:

Supporting websites

Do you want to know more about social science and what it is? These websites may help (we are not responsible for external content)

Examples

In the podcast we provided 2 examples of how social science matters to marine research.

In the podcast we mentioned a blog that discusses the formulation of a biodiversity question. You can read more about it here: https://hifmb.de/science-communication/

Other podcasts and videos

These podcasts have esteemed academics from marine social science disciplines talking about this field of study! (We are not responsible for external content).

Episode overview

This episode welcomes listeners to the podcast "Social Science Matters," which is dedicated to exploring the important world of social science research in the marine environment. In this episode we outline the purpose of the series, which aims to demystify social science methods and make them accessible to marine researchers, practitioners, and anyone interested in the human dimensions of the ocean. We tell listeners what is to come in the series and introduce the ‘shownotes’ – the complimentary materials – which will accompany each podcast, offering a bank of (hopefully!) helpful resources for extending understanding. We hope you enjoy this opening episode and the series to come. This podcast is not about turning you into a social scientist overnight. It's about empowering you to ask better questions, understand complex social issues, and integrate social science insights into your work.

You can tag us on social media #SocialScienceMatters.

Resources

Supporting readings

These readings make the case for why social science matters to the marine realm! Essential!

Supporting websites

Do you want to see how the marine social sciences are shaping research on marine environments? Check out this website of the Consortium for Marine Research in Germany!

Other podcasts

For some general podcasts covering interesting topics across the natural and social marine sciences -- see the links below. We recommend our own series but cannot take responsibility for external content.

In the new year, Kim Peters surprises podcast host Jan and turns the tables on him. She Interviews him on: what got him to HIFMB, a quick look into Jan's work on marine biodiversity at the science-policy interface, the wonderful people he got to learn from and work with, and even the Olympics 2028!! 

Happy 2024 everyone, enjoy!

Kristin (or Tine) Tietje has not only got a super Northern-German sounding name but also recently got a full-time position as the science coordinator of the Marine Governance Group here at HIFMB. She talks about the long winding road that she took to get here and tells us what it means to coordinate science and, more importantly, scientists - which is why she enjoys her job so much.