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<p>In the face of severe socio-ecological crises, there is a growing consensus that research has a responsibility to engage actors within and beyond academia to create actionable knowledge for supporting the transformation towards sustainability. As a result, transdisciplinarity, characterized by the collaboration of actors that transgress disciplines and sectors, has become an important approach. However, applying transdisciplinary research approaches implies the mastery of often complex science-society interactions that require a variety of capabilities. Emerging transdisciplinary doctoral schools could be places where the next generation of transdisciplinary researchers is equipped with this necessary expertise. However, designing appropriate curricula is challenging because of heterogeneous understandings of what is needed to master transdisciplinary processes between science and policy, but also between different scientific communities. To date, there is no consolidated knowledge about what capabilities are considered important for pursuing transdisciplinary careers. To close this knowledge gap, a Q-study was conducted with 59 PhD candidates, alumni, and faculty members from three consecutive installments of a transdisciplinary-oriented doctoral school. Participants ranked the importance of 36 statements about capabilities identified as relevant for transdisciplinary approaches in the literature. Analysis revealed four distinct viewpoints, each emphasizing different capabilities: (i) being open to integrating different perspectives; (ii) being methodologically grounded; (iii) producing actionable knowledge; (iv) creating respectful and empathic interactions. In addition, findings indicate that PhD candidates and faculty members diverge in their views, and that capabilities focused on long-term career development and community building are universally considered less important. To deal with the heterogeneity of views, transdisciplinary doctoral schools should engage in expectation management and offer a flexible curriculum that conveys core messages of transdisciplinarity to all candidates while still providing opportunities for specialization. Moreover, doctoral schools should be seen not only as places for acquiring personal competencies, but also as places for building careers and communities.</p>

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Transdisciplinary doctoral schools—What capabilities do we need to master collaborative science-society interactions in transformative research?

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月1日

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  • Valentin Fiala,
  • Verena Radinger-Peer,
  • Anna-Katharina Brenner,
  • Romana Kopecka,
  • Thomas Thaler,
  • Laura Maria Wallnoefer,
  • Marianne Penker,
  • Katharina Gugerell

摘要

In the face of severe socio-ecological crises, there is a growing consensus that research has a responsibility to engage actors within and beyond academia to create actionable knowledge for supporting the transformation towards sustainability. As a result, transdisciplinarity, characterized by the collaboration of actors that transgress disciplines and sectors, has become an important approach. However, applying transdisciplinary research approaches implies the mastery of often complex science-society interactions that require a variety of capabilities. Emerging transdisciplinary doctoral schools could be places where the next generation of transdisciplinary researchers is equipped with this necessary expertise. However, designing appropriate curricula is challenging because of heterogeneous understandings of what is needed to master transdisciplinary processes between science and policy, but also between different scientific communities. To date, there is no consolidated knowledge about what capabilities are considered important for pursuing transdisciplinary careers. To close this knowledge gap, a Q-study was conducted with 59 PhD candidates, alumni, and faculty members from three consecutive installments of a transdisciplinary-oriented doctoral school. Participants ranked the importance of 36 statements about capabilities identified as relevant for transdisciplinary approaches in the literature. Analysis revealed four distinct viewpoints, each emphasizing different capabilities: (i) being open to integrating different perspectives; (ii) being methodologically grounded; (iii) producing actionable knowledge; (iv) creating respectful and empathic interactions. In addition, findings indicate that PhD candidates and faculty members diverge in their views, and that capabilities focused on long-term career development and community building are universally considered less important. To deal with the heterogeneity of views, transdisciplinary doctoral schools should engage in expectation management and offer a flexible curriculum that conveys core messages of transdisciplinarity to all candidates while still providing opportunities for specialization. Moreover, doctoral schools should be seen not only as places for acquiring personal competencies, but also as places for building careers and communities.