The VU Executive Board appoints Barbara Regeer as Professor of Transdisciplinary Research for Purpose-led Transformation in Health and Environmental Sustainability, in the position of University Research Chair (URC). The chair will be embedded at the Athena Institute, effective 1 September 2023. Through the URC, VU Amsterdam recognises outstanding academics who are regarded as emerging leaders in their field. Read all about Barbara’s research and vison below.
Transdisciplinarity for transformation
Transdisciplinary research can drive system transformations. It takes societal issues as its starting point and places the purpose at the core, instead of institutional routines, structures and disciplines. It approaches the problems from different perspectives, by involving a wide variety of societal and academic actors. By connecting experiential, practical and academic knowledge, processes become more inclusive and socially robust. As a result, it increases chances of reaching aspired changes.
With this chair, Barbara aims to better understand and enhance transdisciplinary research practices that foster transformations in a variety of domains, such as urban food systems, mental health care, climate change, and youth protection. She does this amongst others through pioneering research around ‘meaningful measures’ that help professional to learn, reflect and develop their agency to act. This way, this chair contributes to innovative monitoring and accountability practices that foster and anchor transformation.
System failure by organisational design
Our public systems are effective in many ways, but they are not designed to adequately respond to today’s complex sustainability and health challenges. Public sector organisations, governmental bodies and universities are highly specialised, and therewith not equipped to cross sectoral, specialist or domain boundaries. Moreover, aspired changes are hampered by bureaucracy: rigid organisational structures, overly standardised working routines and counter-effective accountability mechanisms.
The failure of the mental health care system clearly illustrates this problem. Barbara explains: “Despite efforts of health professionals, available medicines and therapies, patients as well as health professionals are suffering from long waiting lists and fragmentation of care services. Climate policy faces a similar crisis: despite policy efforts and a fast growing body of scientific knowledge, CO₂ emissions are not reducing.”
To adequately address such persistent societal problems, we need system transformation. This requires changes at many levels (e.g. organisational structure, culture, day-to-day work processes, accountability mechanisms), in various societal systems (e.g. economic, political, social), as well as in the academic research system. Transdisciplinary research can accelerate these changes.
About the University Research Chair
The VU University Research Chair (URC) is a selective and privileged five-year position as a full professor with exclusive terms of appointment. The aim of a URC is to recognise and reward outstanding academics who are acknowledged by their peers as upcoming leaders in their field.
With Barbara’s chair, VU aims to strengthen its mission to drive change for a better world, by enhancing insights in and practices of knowledge co-production. By bringing together the extensive knowledge and expertise of VU researchers around societal challenges, this chair aims to support VU’s potential to achieve the aspired societal impact. Moreover, the chair supports a growing network of transdisciplinary researchers in the Global South, for example through the India Centre for Transdisciplinary Research.
Partnerships
Barbara and her colleagues at the Athena Institute have long-standing collaborations with many public institutions who take purpose-orientation to heart. Think of ministries, municipalities, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Youth Protection Region Amsterdam and mental health service providers, both nationally (e.g. Altrecht and GGZ InGeest) and internationally (e.g. The Banyan). Read more on Barbara's research page
