CSTS thesis topics offered

MSc Thesis

Description: IDR/TDR are heavily promoted for their potential to contribute to societal challenges like climate change, biodiversity, or the energy transition. However, they face barriers, some of which stem from the characteristics of the policy, funding, and evaluation infrastructures.
The goal of this master thesis is to analyse discourses in research policy and evaluation of IDR/TDR to develop recommendations on how institutions can support inter- and transdisciplinary researchers. The student will analyse the policy and funding landscape and their effects on IDR/TDR by investigating current calls and related grey literature relating to inter- and transdisciplinary research in Switzerland. They will have the opportunity to work with two large funding institutions, with the potential to focus on projects e.g. in the energy of sustainability sectors.

The research will consist of the search, categorisation and analysis of grey literature providing insights into policy discourses on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research in Switzerland. The document analysis can result in a policy analysis, either focusing on the case of Switzerland or applying a comparative approach, taking into account other countries in Europe. Further, the student may apply qualitative, empirical methods like semi-structured interviews or focus groups with inter- and transdisciplinary researchers affected by the analysed science policy. Other methods proposed by the student are also welcome, including quantitative approaches. Analysis and theories should account for knowledge cultures, power hierarchies, and value regimes to apply a cultural approach.
Questions revolve around (not exclusively):

• What are the main features of policy and funding schemes supporting and regulating IDR/TDR?
• How does the science-policy infrastructure affect the potential of IDR/TDR?
• What type of impact do funders expect from collaborative research?
• What evaluation metrics are applied to such proposals and projects?
• Other questions you suggest.

Contact: Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista (e-mail) and Anne-Sophie Schaltegger (e-mail)

MSc Thesis

Description: Researchers and practitioners conducting interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research face multidimensional challenges. These include a lack of academic legitimation, contested understandings of their research, dispersed scientific communities, and weak institutional career support. To respond to these challenges, our group studies how these factors affect the effectiveness with which inter- or transdisciplinary research can address societal challenges. By studying how interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research are performed and what factors hinder or help their development, we seek to contribute to policies that better support collaborative science in Switzerland.

The goal of the thesis is to map and characterize ongoing inter- and transdisciplinary research processes in Switzerland, applying qualitative and/or quantitative methods to a case study. Based on the data collected, the candidate is invited to develop an in-depth understanding of the intersections that crosscut the practice of interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research to better understand the factors that help or hinder their approach to societal challenges. Case studies will be selected from a wide range of national ongoing actions funded by different schemes.

Contact: Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista (e-mail)

MSc Thesis

Description: To contribute to current policy debates concerning impacts of and funding of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research, the CSTS team aims at contributing to overcoming the gap between scientific and science policy discourses of collaborative science. We probe and compare the meanings, perspectives, and imaginaries of policymakers and funders to better understand the intersections of these discourses.

The goal of this thesis is to analyse policy discourses on interdisciplinary and/or transdisciplinary research in Switzerland or Europe to develop recommendations on how science policy and funding can support researchers addressing societal challenges from an inter- or transdisciplinary perspective. Qualitative methods are to be applied and can range from document analysis, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups. The candidate is invited to explore a situational analysis of the topic.

Contact: Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista (e-mail) 

MSc Thesis

Description: Does gender play a role in collaborative research? If so, which one(s)? Recent studies (but few) have shown that women undertake interdisciplinary research more often than men. Whereas other studies have shown no difference in gender (see Pinheiro et al., 2022). Given the relevance inter- and transdisciplinary research are gaining in science and funding, studies on how gender issues are considered (or not) when designing, conducting, and supporting collaborative research are needed.

The candidate will compare two Swiss case studies to address the question of gender in collaborative research. The cases account for (but are not restricted to) research on language and its evolution, nanomaterials and/or life trajectories and vulnerability. The goal of this study is to investigate the relationship between the gender composition of research teams, their propensity to undertake inter- or transdisciplinary research as a function of their gender, and the material factors influencing such research. To assess the current situation, a qualitative approach, including ethnographic fieldwork, interviews and/or focus groups is desirable. Survey and bibliometric studies can be applied to compare inter- and transdisciplinary trajectories from female and male researchers.

Contact: Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista (e-mail) and Anne-Sophie Schaltegger (e-mail)

BSc or MSc Thesis

Description: Transdisciplinary research has a long history in Switzerland. Several funding schemes currently support research conducted together with societal actors or so-called stakeholders. Societal challenges such as sustainability issues, migration and vulnerable communities or food waste and consumption, have been approached with transdisciplinary methods and theories. What are the main features of such collaborative settings in Switzerland? How transdisciplinary research is different from other ways of doing participatory research in Switzerland? What type of impact this collaborative research has on approaching societal challenges?

This thesis will conduct an ethnographic approach to collaboration and integration in transdisciplinary spaces. By focusing on how the collaboration with stakeholders is built and sustained, the candidate will investigate the timeframes and spaces in which research intersects with societal actors and their needs and demands. The aim is to disentangle the connections among scientific and societal actors and how those influence the research to be conducted, but also to devise the gaps that end-up in undone or incomplete science.

Contact: Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista (e-mail)  

BSc or MSc Thesis

Description: Which methods are useful when approaching societal challenges or the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)? How do researchers select and plan to apply such methods? What is the role of methodological innovation in collaborative research processes?

Based on case studies in Switzerland, the thesis will focus on the following (indicative) dimensions: (i) understandings of inter- and transdisciplinary research; (ii) structures and modes of inter- and transdisciplinary research; (iii) integration processes within the case studies; and (iv) methodological innovations in collaborative research. The aim is to develop a deep understanding of how methodological integration is conducted in three case studies and compare them to develop a set of methodological models for inter- or transdisciplinary interaction. The cases allow for an in-depth understanding of how inter- and transdisciplinary research are being conducted in Switzerland and will contribute to the expanding international toolkits for collaborative methods.

Contact: Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista (e-mail) and Anne-Sophie Schaltegger (e-mail)

MSc Thesis

Description: DIAMOND is a large-scale project with a transdisciplinary (TD) approach to co-design Integrated Assessment Model (IAM) improvements for six emblematic models. IAMs are computer simulations describing interactions between the climate and society. They aim to provide policy-relevant insights into global environmental change and sustainable development issues with quantitative descriptions of key processes in the human and earth systems and their interactions. The project spans nineteen organisations and twelve countries, and consists of about seventy researchers and various different stakeholders, including climate decision-makers, civil society organizations and industrialists.

In this context, the CSTS team is currently establishing, operationalising, and managing a transdisciplinary approach that drives model developments and scenario exercises in the project. Using participatory methods, this approach will actively place actors from all relevant stakeholder groups at the heart of the project, helping to form mutual understanding toward co-producing and therefore co-owning model developments and knowledge.

With the significant size of the research consortium and the diversity of stakeholders to work with, applying transdisciplinary methods can become labour intensive in the co-design process, making their feasibility challenging. Adaptation, flexibility and accountability become fundamental processes in the design and implementation of a transdisciplinary approach in order to utilize methods in large-scale projects such as DIAMOND.

Thesis: This thesis investigates how transdisciplinary methods are adapted and applied in large-scale projects. The aim is to identify and understand the common characteristics of such projects and how TD methods may be adapted to become more impactful in consortia that imply complex teams of researchers and stakeholders. Findings will directly inform current funding schemes that support transdisciplinary projects for the energy transition.

The thesis entails the qualitative empirical study of a large-scale transdisciplinary project, , the challenges it faces and how the TD approach is designed and implemented. Methods to be applied can include a literature review, interviews and focus groups and participant observation. The research questions are: What is the current state of the art in large-scale transdisciplinary projects and the methods they utilize? What are the methodological challenges faced by large-scale transdisciplinary projects?

Contact: Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista (e-mail) or Dr Stephanie Briers (e-mail)

MSc Thesis

Description: Diamond will develop an open, responsible engagement process with the wider IAM community, researchers on relevant topics (including Humanities and Social Sciences), policymakers, representatives from emissions-intensive industries, as well as NGOs and citizen groups on energy and climate.

This requires mapping the relevant stakeholders to set up an engagement plan and selecting key actors of the intertwined policy-science agendas for climate action. By applying a set of transdisciplinary methods, the team will co-create a stakeholder engagement strategy that accompanies and enriches the research process to make it meaningful and robustly grounded in societal needs.

The aim of this thesis is to conduct an accompanying research process to explore the multiplicity of perspectives on how models can address concerns from the target groups, attending carefully to differences, complexities, and range of variation in the data. Qualitative and transdisciplinary methods will be applied to understand stakeholders’ engagement and needs towards a more inclusive modelling environment.

Contact: Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista (e-mail)  

MSc Thesis

Description: Researchers and practitioners conducting energy research face multidimensional challenges when embarking themselves in transdisciplinary settings. To respond to these challenges, our group studies how these factors affect the effectiveness with which inter- or transdisciplinary research can contribute to energy. This thesis will identify and explore past and current collaborations in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary settings in Switzerland with the aim to understand disciplines and topics covered, integration methods, typical challenges and solutions, and to identify successful and unsuccessful practices. By studying how interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research are performed and what factors hinder or help their development, we seek to contribute to policies that better support the energy transition in Switzerland.

The goal of the thesis is to map and characterize ongoing transdisciplinary research processes in Switzerland, applying qualitative and/or quantitative methods. Based on the data collected, the candidate will develop an in-depth understanding of the collaborations between researchers from the social sciences and the humanities, modellers and practitioners. Case studies will be selected from a wide range of national ongoing actions funded by different schemes.

Contact: Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista (e-mail)

MSc Thesis

Description: This thesis is framed within the SNSF Weave project “Practice-based research: investigating research practices, outputs and impacts in Belgium-Flanders, Poland, and Switzerland”, which aims to systematise practice-based collaborative research processes and understand their impacts and outputs. The team includes partners from Switzerland, Belgium and Poland working in different areas: health, arts, and the natural sciences.

The student will be free to choose their own relevant field, for example, but not limited to, policy, energy, or sustainability.

Collaborations that include researchers, communities, governmental and non-governmental organisations are heavily promoted in policy and form a much talked about topic in academia. Similarly, professionals within the policy or environmental sectors are increasingly expected to collaborate with other professionals and researchers to respond to complex challenges, improve their practices and educate the future generation of transdisciplinary research practitioners. Definitions for the terms transdisciplinary collaborations or research-practice collaborations abound and have different effects and impacts. A better understanding of the collaborations between practitioners and practitioner-researchers is essential to serve as a basis for policy, research and practice.

Research questions related to this topic may touch upon:
• What are the main features of practice-based research?
• What are the expected outcomes of practice-based research and why are these considered important for research or practice or policy?
• Other questions you may want to suggest

Methods: The research will consist of the search and analysis of grey and academic literatures to provide insights into policy and research discourses on research-practice collaborations in Switzerland, in the wider context of its participation in European research. The student is expected to select a case study in Switzerland, among the ones that the research team have already identified and with the support of the supervisors. A qualitative document analysis method may be complemented by qualitative data collection methods (such as interviews or focus groups) with researchers and/or practitioners in the Swiss context.

Relevance of the study:  we still know very little about practice-based research as a research strategy. The thesis is expected to contribute to understandings of research-practice collaborations from research, practice and policy perspectives.

Contact: Dr Nathalie Dupin (e-mail) or Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista (e-mail)

MSc Thesis

Description: This thesis is framed within the SNSF Weave project “Practice-based research: investigating research practices, outputs and impacts in Belgium-Flanders, Poland, and Switzerland”, which aims to systematise practice-based collaborative research processes and understand their impacts and outputs. The team includes partners from Switzerland, Belgium and Poland working in different areas: health, arts, and the natural sciences.

The student will be free to choose their own relevant field, for example, but not limited to, policy, energy, or sustainability.

There is currently a marked policy interest in promoting collaborations between the research and professional sectors, especially evident in areas such as sustainability, energy or environmental sciences. Collaborations between researchers, professionals, organisations and communities that seek to find solutions for complex societal challenges can also be understood as transdisciplinary. Within this perspective, it is possible to understand practice-based research as a type of transdisciplinary research that focusses on the practical relevance of findings for solving societal problems. However, this perspective is under-theorised and under-researched and deserves a deeper examination.

Research questions related to this topic may touch upon:
• How are collaborations enacted between research and professional fields?
• Do collaborations between research and professional fields lead to practical knowledge?
• Other questions you may want to suggest

Methods: The goal of the thesis is to map and characterise the commonalities and differences in knowledge production processes between transdisciplinary collaborations and practice-based research in Switzerland and Europe. The candidate will apply a qualitative approach such as case study or ethnographic fieldwork to explore the experiences of transdisciplinary and practitioner researchers. The student will be free to choose their own relevant field, for example, but not limited to, policy, energy, or sustainability.

Relevance of the study: the study will contribute empirically to understandings of practice-based research as a form of transdisciplinary collaboration (with a specific focus on research-practice transgressions and interactions).

Contact: Dr Nathalie Dupin (e-mail) or Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista (e-mail)

MSc Thesis

Description: This thesis is framed within the SNSF Weave project “Practice-based research: investigating research practices, outputs and impacts in Belgium-Flanders, Poland, and Switzerland”, which aims to systematise practice-based collaborative research processes and understand their impacts and outputs. The team includes partners from Switzerland, Belgium and Poland working in different areas: health, arts, and the natural sciences.

The student will be free to choose their own relevant field, for example, but not limited to, policy, energy, or sustainability.

Current European science policies are concerned with the practical relevance and utilisation of research beyond academia to bridge the research-practice gap and the academic-practitioner divide. The gaps identified in this science policy discourse are sometimes discussed as problems with knowledge translation or transfer, the effects of academic self-interest, or the disconnect between academia and society. Meanwhile, many scholars denounce this rhetoric as an artificial construction, the mechanisms for assessing and evaluating the impact and relevance of academic knowledge, or differences in language, expectations, and time horizons between researchers and practitioners.

Research questions related to this topic may touch upon:
• How is the research-practice gap perceived in policy?
• Does collaborative practice-based research produce knowledge relevant to practice?
• Other questions you may want to suggest

Methods: the goal of the thesis is to analyse policy discourses on collaborative practice-based research in Switzerland in the wider context of its participation in European research. The candidate is expected to apply qualitative methods ranging from document analysis, interviews and focus groups. The student will be free to focus solely on the case of Switzerland or to apply a comparative lens taking into account other countries in Europe.

Relevance of the study: the study is expected to develop recommendations on how science policy and funding can support intersectoral interactions between researchers and practitioners with a focus on collaboration. Findings from this study will form part of a wider report for the SNSF.

Contact: Dr Nathalie Dupin (e-mail) or Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista (e-mail)