Prof. Dr. Christian Erik Pohl

Research Area

During my studies of environmental sciences, my PhD on uncertainty in LCA, and my postdoc in science studies, I observed that interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research was re-invented every time a new project was started. There was no systematic learning and no body of knowledge on how to conceptualize and practice such collaborative research. Since the late 1990s and together with colleagues from around the world, I am trying to build up such a body of knowledge, as for instance by the external page Principles for Designing Transdisciplinary Research, the external page Handbook of Transdisciplinary Research, external page td-net’s toolbox for co-producing knowledge or by external page On which common ground to build?.

Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research are means to an end. In the context of our department, this end is sustainable development. Sustainable development requires tackling complex and societally contested issues. I am committed to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research because I consider both the key means to do so.

Further Academic Positions

• Member of the external page steering committee of NRP 82 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Swiss National Science Foundation
  
• external page Chair of U Change, run by the Network for Transdisciplinary Research (td-net), Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
• Member of external page scientific advisory board of transdisciplinarity-net (td-net), Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
• Founding editor of external page td-net’s toolbox for co-producing knowledge
  
• Founding member of the editorial board for the external page Team Science Toolkit of the US National Cancer Institute
• Editor of external page Sustainability Science