PD Dr. Bianca Vienni Baptista

Education and Current position:

2023 -       Privatdozentin (PD), Habilitation thesis: "Cultural studies of collaborative science: disentangling inter- and transdisciplinary cultures, practices and policies".

2022-        Group Leader Cultural Studies of Science & Technology (CSTS)

Profile:

My experience lies in the interface of the anthropology of science and technology and inter- and transdisciplinary research, working in both international and intercultural settings. Science and technology Studies (STS) theories and methods crosscut my research and teaching. I am interested in methods and tools as well as concepts and theories as means of achieving transformative and developmental change. My research focuses on the specific conditions for inter-and transdisciplinary research and on the production and social use of knowledge in different countries, including the role of universities and other institutions.

These contributions are sustained by the following research projects:

With my team, we study inter- and transdisciplinary practices, methods and policies in the project “Investigating interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity: intersections among practices, culture(s) and policy in collaborative research” (INTERSECTIONS), funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF, PRIMA Grant, period 2022-2026). This opens new research lines by applying a cultural approach to knowledge co-production innovative processes.

More recently, I got funded for the research project titled "Practice-based research: investigating research practices, outputs and impacts in Belgium-Flanders, Poland and Switzerland" (SNSF, Weave Programme, period 2025-2027), which enquires into a form of research grounded in professional practice conducted by practitioner-researchers or teams composed of researchers and practitioners, and typically taking place in practice settings - such as clinical centres, schools, worksites, or art studios. 

Additionally, my team applies transdisciplinary methods and co-designs stakeholder engagement plans for sustainable innovations. We currently focus on investigating modelling processes in two research projects: 

• "Delivering the next generation of Open Integrated Assessment Models for net-zero, sustainable development” (DIAMOND) (2022-2026), funded by Horizon Europe. 
• “Co-Evolution and Coordinated Simulation of the Swiss Energy System and Swiss Society (Cosi), funded by “Swiss Energy research for the Energy Transition” (SWEET Programme), Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE).

Possible Master and Bachelor theses

Selected publications:

Research Collection – Publication platform of ETH Zurich

• Laursen, B., Vienni-Baptista, B., Bammer, G., et al. (2024). Toolkitting: An unrecognized form of expertise for overcoming fragmentation of inter- and transdisciplinarity. 
• Vienni-Baptista B. (2024) Cultural studies of collaborative science and technology.  
• Vienni-Baptista, B. (2024). Investigating Interdisciplinarity and Transdisciplinarity: How meta-ethnography contributes to the Study of Collaborative Research Practices?
• Vienni-Baptista, B., & C. Pohl (2023). Exploring Interdisciplinarity and Transdisciplinarity as Knowledge Regimes: A Heuristic Tool for Disentangling Understandings in Academia and Policy
• Vienni-Baptista, B. Fletcher, I., Lyall, C. and Pohl, C. (2022) Embracing heterogeneity: Why plural understandings strengthen interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity

Books:

• Vienni-Baptista B; van Goch M; van Lambalgen R & Lindvig K. (2024). Interdisciplinary practices in Higher Education. Teaching, Learning and Collaborating across Borders.
• Vienni-Baptista, B. Fletcher, I. and Lyall, C. (eds) (2023) Foundations of Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Research. A Reader
• Vienni Baptista, B & Klein, J. T. (2022) Institutionalizing Interdisciplinarity and Transdisciplinarity.Collaboration across Cultures and Communities.