Overcoming transdisciplinary challenges: students, clients and educators learn together

The Utrecht University scientists and educators of today, as well as its student changemakers of tomorrow, are increasingly striving to produce new insights not only for society but also with society through a so-called transdisciplinary approach. This mode of research and education is particularly important in the realm of sustainability, where context matters a great deal and where the involvement of societal stakeholders throughout the research process is crucial. It also requires skills that go beyond traditional academic training: “Teaching students to work in a transdisciplinary fashion is critical for building legitimate long-term sustainability transitions,” says Dr. Brian Dermody, who runs the Consultancy Project, a core third-year course of Utrecht University Bachelor Global Sustainability Science program.

“The aim of the Consultancy Project is for students to learn how to apply their academic knowledge to address societal challenges”, explains Dermody, an assistant professor at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development. “In doing so, they learn to integrate theoretical and practical knowledge and gain an appreciation of how societal organizations work towards sustainability in diverse ways”  

Each year, students work with a diverse set of societal partners – commercial enterprises, non-profits, and even the University itself – to tackle a variety of sustainability challenges together. This challenge-based approach weaves into the course a range of skills, competencies and sensitivities that will aid students to make a real difference whether they continue in research or enter the workplace in the private or public sector. So how does the course teach them to work in a transdisciplinary manner?

The aim of the Consultancy Project is for students to learn how to apply their academic knowledge to address societal challenges

Juggling different kinds of stakeholders

Familiar to many organizations working on sustainability transitions is mastering the ability to work with many kinds of stakeholders on multiple tasks and projects simultaneously. “This is something students can initially struggle with,” says Dermody. For example, one group of students worked with Amped, a local incubator for solutions across IT, circular economy, and food system transformation. Amped asked the student to reflect on four years of bringing together stakeholders in the Amsterdam metropolitan region, assess Amped’s impact, and evaluate its approach.

“The students created a timeline of events we organized, and interviewed our partners and got their feedback on the process”, says Lucie Jeandrain, herself a recent graduate of the Copernicus Institute’s Sustainable Business & Innovation Master’s program. “It’s hard to take the time to look back at what has happened. The students were able to coordinate with our diverse partners to produce a reflective vision of what we’ve done over the last few years. They also produced a more theoretical handbook showing the scientific thinking behind what we could do differently.”

The students were able to coordinate with our diverse partners to produce a reflective vision of what we’ve done over the last few years

Being able to communicate across hierarchies and roles

Students are familiar with executing concrete tasks set by their teachers, asking for feedback when necessary, and working in small groups. But communicating across hierarchies and roles is a crucial skill for effective transdisciplinary collaboration. “This course, however, deliberately puts students in the driver’s seat", says instructor Dr. Niko Wojtynia, also a researcher at the Copernicus Institute. “They are in charge of defining the work with the client and keeping them up-to-date with the progress”.

Although initially uncomfortable, the students working with NASDAQ-traded biotech company Genmab overcame this barrier quickly. Genmab sought to reduce the use of energy and materials in their labs while maintaining high quality and sanitary standards. Together, the student team and client eventually determined that optimizing equipment use could cut energy use significantly, and switching pipette supplier would lower their material footprint. Eko Harimulyo, Senior Manager at Genmab, was enthusiastic: “The students defined the parameters for their analysis and collected data by interviewing our staff. They communicated regularly and professionally, and we met in person on several occasions. We will present the data in our internal Sustainability Week – we’re all scientists here, so we like to see data!”

Students are often quite idealistic and have strong views on what is right or wrong, or good or bad. Our course allows them to experience how diverse organizations – and the people working in them – tackle sustainability challenges and what dilemmas they face

Developing an open mindset

Finally, an open mindset is key. "Students are often quite idealistic and have strong views on what is right or wrong, or good or bad,” says Wojtynia. “Our course allows them to experience how diverse organizations – and the people working in them – tackle sustainability challenges, and what dilemmas they face.” Crucially, students are able to gain new perspectives on societal and ecological challenges. This is facilitated through a parallel reflection exercise where students discuss the evolution of their thinking throughout the course. Wojtynia continues: “It took me several years of working in consultancy to figure out whether it suited me and how the clients we served navigate sustainability challenges. To be able to give students such insights at the end of their Bachelor’s program is really rewarding.”