The objective of this workshop was to:
- Create new collaborations among early-career researchers (ECR) from Gothenburg and Lund, spanning the different areas of expertise in BECC.
- Identify and elaborate on area of shared interests of BECC’s ECR in order to create thematic sub-groups that potentially lead to action group applications.
The workshop had 14 participants, including PhD students and Post-Doctoral Fellows from both Gothenburg and Lund, from varied disciplines (Economics, Ecology, Soil science, etc.).
We used a four-step method to identify area of shared interest and foster the creation of new research questions:
1. We asked about the preconceptions of each participant about the each other’s disciplines, in order to improve our knowledge of the disciplines in the group through an interactive way.
2. Then, through an iterative process, we used an interactive brainstorming tool called Mentimeter, to identify the research topics the participants were most interested in. Two rounds were necessary to obtain a certain degree of overlap in the research interests.
3. Then two groups were formed in order to create new emerging research questions (landscape change and biodiversity; global change and catastrophes).
4. People then presented rough research questions that were discussed with the whole group
5. People finally split into each research question they had interest in to refine the question and produce a short presentation to the whole group.
Three main transdisciplinary projects, which could lead to the creation of action groups, emerged from this process:
- Cascading effects of water fluxes on soil-plant systems
- Does biodiversity decline trigger pro-environmental behaviors? Quantitative effect of socio-economic and environmental drivers
- CONTextual Analysis on Moods and opINions about GlyphosATE (CONTAMINATE)
In addition to this outcome, Lina Nikoleris and Josefin Madjidian introduced the whole group with action groups and other funds that could help carry out these new projects.
We hope that the discussions about these research questions will carry on!
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