Building Capacity in Transdisciplinary Research for Urban Sustainability Transformations
Target audience
PhD and Postdoc from all faculties from universities all over Flanders (and open to researchers from beyond), conducting research that can be situated in the field of urban sustainability (i.e. focusing on issues related to mobility, energy, housing, care, food and agriculture, water, biodiversity, urban planning etc.).
We welcome applications from researchers at any stage of their work, though the programme may be especially beneficial
for those with experience in data collection and analysis. We strive to create an interdisciplinary group and, where
appropriate, will consider this in the selection process.
Professors and other academic staff who wish to attend may send an email to charlotte.prove@ugent.be.
Organizing and scientific committee
The specialist course is organised by researchers (PhD & postdoc), ZAP and staff from the transdisciplinary research
platform de Stadsacademie:
- Prof. Griet Roets (Department of Social Work, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences)
- Prof. Thomas Block & dr. Charlotte Prové (Center for Sustainability Studies, Faculty of Political and Social
Sciences) - Prof. Michiel Dehaene & Emma Bierens (Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Faculty of Engineering
and Architecture) Prof. Tim Devos (AMRP, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture) - Amber Steyaert (Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering)
- Riet Van de Velde (Sustainability coordinator, central administration Ghent University)
Abstract
This course is organized by the Stadsacademie and explores how transdisciplinary research on urban sustainability issues
can be conducted in practice. It aims to build a community of researchers through seminars focused on learning, exchange,
and capacity building. The course examines the key challenges and dimensions of transdisciplinary research, with a particular focus on methodological approaches, collaborative practices, and forms of cooperation across urban and academic contexts.
Objectives
- Identification and mapping of key challenges, opportunities and dimensions of transdisciplinary research.
- Deepening participants’ understanding of how transdisciplinary research on urban sustainability can be conducted in practice.
- Critical reflection on how insights and lessons learned can be translated into the participants personal academic
environments. - To create a transdisciplinary research community that continuously builds on previous editions of the course.
Preliminary Programme
SEMINAR 1
Introduction to the course: governance of transdisciplinary research partnerships
Multiple social and ecological crises are generating new cross-sectoral research questions that call for a transformation in contemporary science. In response, transdisciplinary research has been promoted to produce societally relevant, scientifically robust, and value-sensitive knowledge on sustainability transformations. By transcending established boundaries both among scientific disciplines and between science and society, transdisciplinary research aims to foster the co-production of knowledge for addressing the complex challenges of interdependent social and ecological systems. Yet, transdisciplinarity remains difficult to implement within existing academic systems. This introductory seminar explores how transdisciplinary research can be organized and supported within the prevailing structures and logics of academic institutions. We will examine the governance mechanisms needed to facilitate knowledge co-production processes that generate actionable knowledge for real-world sustainability transformations. Particular attention will be given to the institutional and organizational conditions required to support such collaborations, as well as to key challenges such as time constraints, trust-building, the development of a shared language, and the evaluation and recognition of transdisciplinary research outputs both within and beyond academia.
Monday 12 October 2026
Location: Green Hub, 9000 Gent
Program
12:00-13:00 Introduction by de Stadsacademie (Prof. Thomas Block)
Lecture by prof. Tom Dedeurwaerdere
Q&A
13:00-13:30 Lunch
13:30-16:00 Research seminar
SEMINAR 2
Place-based approaches in transdisciplinary research
Place-based approaches in transdisciplinary research organize research around the specific characteristics, needs, and challenges of a particular place rather than around abstract theoretical problems. In transdisciplinary research on urban sustainability, this means that researchers collaborate with local stakeholders such as communities, governments, civil society organizations, businesses, and citizens to co-produce knowledge that is grounded in the social, cultural, ecological, economic, and political realities of urban places. Besides situated knowledge, such approaches emphasize experimentation in real-world settings and long-term collaboration between researchers and local stakeholders. Inevitably, place-based approaches produce “engaged knowledge” that is embedded in political processes and power relations. Urban places are shaped by competing interests and perspectives, while dominant actors often influence urban transformation processes in ways that may exclude vulnerable groups. As a result, place-based transdisciplinary research raises important questions about inclusion, empowerment, responsibility, and the role of researchers in processes of societal change. This seminar explores how researchers can engage critically and constructively in the political dimensions of urban sustainability transformations. How do we take responsibility for the knowledge we produce and the impacts we generate? How can researchers build meaningful and reciprocal relationships with local stakeholders? And how can such partnerships be sustained over time?
Wednesday 9 December 2026
Location: Green Hub, 9000 Gent
Program
12:00-13:00 Introduction by the Stadsacademie (Prof. Michiel Dehaene)
Lecture by prof. Roberta Sonnino
Q&A
13:00-13:30 Lunch
13:30-16:00 Research seminar
SEMINAR 3
Power dynamics in transdisciplinary settings: what tools and methods do we have to establish equitable collaborations?
Transdisciplinary research on urban sustainability brings together researchers, policymakers, civil society organizations, communities, and private actors to co-produce knowledge and shape pathways for societal transformation. While such collaborations are often framed as inclusive and participatory, they are inevitably embedded in existing power relations. Differences in institutional authority, resources, expertise, trust in the collaboration and access to decision-making processes influence what knowledge is brought in the collaborations, whose knowledge is recognized, and whose interests are prioritized. This seminar explores how power asymmetries can be reproduced and challenged in transdisciplinary research collaborations. What forms of power do academic and non-academic partners hold in collaborative processes? How are they constrained by the dominant logics, incentives, and hierarchies of their own institutions? How, and by whom, are power imbalances in collaboration and co-production processes experienced? And do researchers sometimes focus too strongly on their own positionality while paying insufficient attention to how community partners, civil society actors, or vulnerable groups are positioned within these collaborations? We will reflect on how trust can be built, what role language plays, how different forms of expertise can be valued, and how transdisciplinary partnerships can more meaningfully address issues of inclusion, representation, and justice.
Thursday 18 February 2027.
Location: Green Hub, 9000 Gent
Program
12:00-13:00 Introduction by the Stadsacademie (Amber Steyaert & Charlotte Prové)
Lecture by prof. Julia WIttmayer
Q&A
13:00-13:30 Lunch
13:30-16:00 Research seminar
SEMINAR 4
Reflexivity in transdisciplinary research: How and where to cultivate reflexivity in transdisciplinary research processes
for urban sustainability transitions?
Transdisciplinary research for urban sustainability transitions calls for reflexivity because it explicitly engages with questions about what the world ought to look like (Jasanoff, 2004; Ampe et al., 2024). While sustainability is often treated as a self-evident and universally shared goal, leaving its meaning unexamined and presenting it as a neutral guiding principle can, among other things, reinforce existing power relations and marginalize alternative perspectives. This challenge is particularly relevant in transdisciplinary research for urban sustainability transitions, where researchers frequently move beyond conventional academic roles and take on responsibilities as knowledge brokers, process facilitators, mediators, and change agents. Rather than merely studying sustainability transitions, they actively contribute to shaping the imaginaries, pathways, and practices through which ecologically sustainable and socially just futures are envisioned and enacted. Reflexivity can be understood as an introspective process in which researchers make their own engagement a subject of inquiry, reflection, and discussion (Ampe et al., 2026). Practising reflexivity requires acknowledging the political dimensions of research in an open and critical manner, while remaining attentive to the assumptions, concerns, problem framings, interests, and values that are included—or excluded—in the research process (Ampe et al., 2026). It involves turning the analytical gaze inward and critically examining questions such as: What vision of sustainability informs my research approach? Who benefits from the research? Who funds it? Whose interests are reflected in the research questions, and whose are overlooked? The challenge, however, lies in whether and how reflexivity can be systematically embedded in transdisciplinary research for urban sustainability transitions. What conditions enable researchers to engage reflexively, and how can reflexive practice be supported within research institutions and projects? In this session, we will explore the role of institutional support, available resources (such as time, procedures, and methodological toolboxes), and the personal attitudes and competencies required for reflexive practice. Particular attention will be given to the social, organizational, and navigational skills that help researchers engage with the complexities and normative dimensions of transdisciplinary sustainability research. Together, we will reflect on how reflexivity can be cultivated and supported in practice, and what this means for the future of transdisciplinary sustainability research.
Tuesday 20 April 2027
Location: Green Hub, 9000 Gent
Program
12:00-13:00 Introduction by de Stadsacademie (Charlotte Prové)
Lecture by prof. Gert Goeminne & dr. Kasper Ampe
Q&A
13:00-13:30 Lunch
13:30-16:00 Research seminar
Registration
- Follow this link for the registration and waiting list.
- Cancellation of your registration can only be performed by sending an email to doctoralschools@ugent.be.
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The no show policy applies.
Registration fee
Free of charge for all participants
Number of participants
Maximum 25
Language
English
Training method
Four sessions with a public lecture and a research seminar
(1) Public lecture by invited speaker (see program above)
Each session begins with an introduction by one or more researchers and urban partners affiliated with the Stadsacademie whose expertise relates to the focus of the seminar. Their contribution is then brought into dialogue with the lecture of the invited speaker. In this way, the seminars become grounded in the context of our own university and create a conversation between academic reflection and practical experience.
(2) Research seminar
Each seminar is co-prepared by 5–6 registered participants together with the organising committee. Building on the themes and insights introduced during the public lecture, participants present their own research experiences and critically reflect on the opportunities and challenges of transdisciplinary methodologies and practices. The seminars are designed as dialogical spaces that foster critical exchange, mutual learning, and constructive feedback among participants, guest speakers, and members of the organising scientific committee.
Preparation of the sessions
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Prior to each session, a preparatory meeting will be convened with the organizing committee and the registered participants scheduled to present at the respective seminar.
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Reading material will be circulated to all participants before each seminar (not obligatory)
Evaluation method
· Active participation during the four sessions
· Presentation of your research in one of the four seminars
· The organizing committee of each seminar will develop a short report (may take the form of a document, presentation, video, drawing, or hybrid forms) with reflections, key lessons and action points to support transdisciplinary research on urban sustainability outcomes. These outcomes will be shared on the website of the Stadsacademie. We expect each registered participant to contribute to the report of their seminar.
After successful participation, the Doctoral School Office will add this course to your curriculum of the Doctoral Training Programme in Oasis. Please note that this can take up to one to two months after completion of the course.