Developing Interdisciplinary Green Solutions

This course, offered by UCPH Green Solutions Centre (GSC), is open to PhD students from all areas of research at all universities who work within and across the fields of climate, environment, nature and agriculture. These four themes are currently highlighted by the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science as areas requiring more integrated research.

The aim of the PhD course is to exchange different disciplinary perspectives on green research within these areas, and thereby to make the participants’ suggested green solutions more robust, comprehensive, and refined. In other words, the course will enable PhD students to better contextualize their research projects within larger societal, political, and scientific debates and agendas, thereby enhancing the impact of the research.

As a GSC initiative, a further aim is to integrate green research across all scientific disciplines, supporting the development of a genuinely interdisciplinary university culture. Students signing up get the benefit of discussing their specialized research with peers and instructors from other disciplines and get to practice the ability to see a green problem and solution from different angles.

Dates: November 12-13, 2023. Register here before October 13th, 2024.

Central questions

During the course, participants will reflect on the following questions through project presentations and discussions:

  1. What problem does my project contribute to solving, and how? In what ways is the project about a green solution? And for whom/what? What challenges need to be resolved?
  2. How would I frame my project to researchers from other disciplines? How can I ‘translate’ my research questions to peers with other specializations?
  3. What might I need from other disciplines to contextualize, complement, strengthen or challenge my project’s solution? What are the expected or identified barriers for implementation of my solution? What does/would it take for my findings to become actionable?
  4. Are there known problematic consequences for environmental, social and economic sustainability? What new questions arise through interdisciplinary discussions, and should these questions be factored into the research? Why/why not?

Preparation and workload

The course will consist of inspirational presentations by course instructors and guests, and group discussions, both of course readings (c. 250 standard pages) and materials related to current agricultural and land-use practices in Denmark. Each participant will prepare a short presentation that will be discussed in groups. Course material and further information will be available upon registration, and a more detailed programme will follow.

Duration: 2 days, 2 ECTS points rewarded.

Time and place:

12 November 2024, 9:00.16:00.
13 November 2024, 9:00.16:00.

A dinner at a restaurant in central Copenhagen follows the first day. Participation in the dinner is optional.

Place: Dyrlægevej 10 Frederiksberg Campus lokale i61

Registration: Please register here no later than 13 October 2024.

Language: English

ECTS: 2

Max. numbers of participants: 20

Further Information: For more information about the course, please contact the PhD Administration (phd@hrsc.ku.dk), one of the course organisers or UCPH GSC (gsc@ku.dk).

Course organisers

  • Frida Hastrup, Associate Professor, SAXO-Institute, Faculty of Humanities, Copenhagen University.
  • Nathalia Brichet, Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Copenhagen University