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The Role of Transacademic Interface Managers in Transformational Sustainability Research and Education

Author

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  • Katja Brundiers

    (School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, PO Box, 875402, Tempe, AZ 85287-5402, USA)

  • Arnim Wiek

    (School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, PO Box, 875402, Tempe, AZ 85287-5402, USA)

  • Braden Kay

    (School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, PO Box, 875402, Tempe, AZ 85287-5402, USA)

Abstract

Working towards sustainable solutions requires involving professionals and stakeholders from all sectors of society into research and teaching. This often presents a challenge to scholars at universities, as they lack capacity and time needed for negotiating different agendas, languages, competencies, and cultures among faculty, students, and stakeholders. Management approaches and quality criteria have been developed to cope with this challenge, including concepts of boundary organizations, transdisciplinary research, transition management, and interface management. However, few of these concepts present comprehensive proposals how to facilitate research with stakeholder participation while creating educational opportunities along the lifecycle of a project. The article focuses on the position of a transacademic interface manager (TIM) supporting participatory sustainability research and education efforts. We conceptualize the task portfolio of a TIM; outline the capacities a TIM needs to possess in order to successfully operate; and propose an educational approach for how to train students in becoming a TIM. For this, we review the existing literature on TIMs and present insights from empirical sustainability research and educational projects that involved TIMs in different functions. The article provides practical guidance to universities on how to organize these critical endeavors more effectively and to offer students an additional career perspective.

Suggested Citation

  • Katja Brundiers & Arnim Wiek & Braden Kay, 2013. "The Role of Transacademic Interface Managers in Transformational Sustainability Research and Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(11), pages 1-23, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:5:y:2013:i:11:p:4614-4636:d:30032
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Ian Thomas, 2014. "Special Issue—Pedagogy for Education for Sustainability in Higher Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-4, April.
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    4. Joaquín Paredes-Labra & Ivana-Mariel Siri & Alessandro Oliveira, 2018. "Preparing Public Pedagogies with ICT: The Case of Pesticides and Popular Education in Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-12, September.
    5. Boakye-Danquah, John & Reed, Maureen G., 2019. "The participation of non-industrial private forest owners in forest certification programs: The role and effectiveness of intermediary organisations," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 154-163.
    6. Daniel Culotta & Arnim Wiek & Nigel Forrest, 2016. "Selecting and coordinating local and regional climate change interventions," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 34(7), pages 1241-1266, November.
    7. Laurens K. Hessels & Stefan P.L. De Jong & Stijn Brouwer, 2018. "Collaboration between Heterogeneous Practitioners in Sustainability Research: A Comparative Analysis of Three Transdisciplinary Programmes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-16, December.

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