Roles of Scientists in Sustainability Transformations
In supporting societal transformation processes towards sustainable development, researchers may take on expanded roles when working with other societal actors. The new guide with saguf co-authors provides an introduction to the issues that can arise when thinking about roles of scientists. It offers inspiration for designing workshops to reflect on possible roles.
Scientists, scientific experts, and knowledge brokers often find themselves in situations where they need toplay new roles in society or are criticised for positioning themselves at the interface between science and other societal fields of action. The guide aims to stimulate reflections on, and discussions of, roles that scientists perform. It offers insights from the literature reflecting on roles of scientists – in particular in the field of sustainability transformations – and provides sets of instructions to design workshop formats, along with tools for fostering reflection on roles, either individually or in groups.
Need support in reflecting on roles of scientists in societal transformation processes towards sustainability?
👉 Downloads and workshop examples with lessons learned: https://naturalsciences.ch/roles_of_scientists/transformations/guide/downloads
Standard identifier: doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15235687
Source: Studer S, Marfurt F, Zimmermann AB, Behringer J (2025): Roles of Scientists in Sustainability Transformations: A Guide for Reflection and Workshop Facilitation. Swiss Academies Communications 20 (2)
Contact
Swiss Academic Society for Environmental Research and Ecology (saguf)
c/o ETH Zürich
ETH Sustainability
Weinbergstrasse 41
8092 Zürich
Switzerland