Gemma O’Sullivan is an educational scientist. Her research asks how we can redesign our universities and learning processes to develop in students, academic and societal actors the ability to create and use knowledge to tackle societal challenges. This is alternately known as transdisciplinarity or challenge-based research and learning. She has a specific interest in designing frameworks and learning processes to develop transdisciplinary competencies for example knowledge integration and perspective-taking. At the core of her practice and research is a belief that we need rapid change in our educational systems to address global challenges, in particular climate change. Gemma is a former editor and columnist on Irish and British national newspaper titles including the Guardian, the Sunday Times and the Irish Examiner and began her academic career as a lecturer in media and communications.