Welcome to the first edition of Umeå Transformation Research Initiatives' annual conference which aims to highlight research efforts towards a better future.
The conference will spotlight research contributions toward a sustainable world, broadening the concept of transformation and exploring how it can be applied across various research fields. The need for action is clear, and the path forward lies in interdisciplinary collaborations. The conference therefore offers opportunities for interdisciplinary meetings and a diverse range of discussion forums during the afternoon's parallel sessions.
Whether you're an early-career researcher or a senior academic, we encourage you to take part in this first edition of our annual conference and be part of the change.
Moderator: Ola Nordebo, Political Editor-in-Chief at Västerbottens Kuriren.
Keynote: Björn-Ola Linnér, professor at Centre for Climate Science and Policy/Environmental Change, Department of Thematic Studies Linköpings university.
Preliminary program
Registration and coffee from 8.15
8.30 Welcome and introduction
8.45 What is transformation?
9.00 Keynote with Björn-Ola Linnér
10.00 FIKA
10.30 Key transformations issues in each field Sofia Lundberg, Professor at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE)
Lars Samuelsson, Associate professor at Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies
Cornelia Redeker, Professor and Head of Department at Umeå School of Architecture
Representation from the The Faculty of Medicine is yet to be announced.
11.30 Discussion and introduction to the afternoon.
12.00 LUNCH
13.00-14.30 Parallel sessions1
Post-growth and Sustainable Transformations (open for abstracts) Elias Isaksson, Political Science The panel discussion seeks to explore critical perspectives on growth in the context of sustainable transformations, specifically focusing on the re-industrialization of northern Sweden. What do we mean by terms such as degrowth, doughnut economics, and post-growth? To what extent can these and related concepts offer valuable insights into society's dependence on growth and how we might address the urgent need for rapid emission reductions?
Transformative research utilizing large-scale research infrastructure – structures for elements and in materials (open for abstracts) Nils Skoglund, Applied Physics and Electronics The green transition is sometimes portrayed as having a life of its own with processes that just simply work for new energy carriers or material types. In reality, the systematic change is strongly connected to continued development of novel material designs or new ways to achieve material circularity from an elemental level to larger structures. Large-scale research infrastructures (LSRI) such as synchrotrons or neutron sources provide unique methods for understanding materials at their most fundamental level. This talk will provide a cross-section of analytical techniques at LSRI related to changing how different elements move through society and potential ways to increase both circularity and sustainability.
The Intelligent Human-Buildings Interactions Lab (IHBI): An Open Access Research and Innovation Platform Weizhuo Lu, Kailun Feng, Chanachok Chokwitthaya, Thomas Olofsson, Applied Physics and Electronics
We have witnessed numerous extreme weather events and various other effects of climate change. In view of this, the Intelligent Human-Buildings Interactions lab (IHBI) has been established at Umeå University. It provides state-of-the-art research facilities for conducting multidisciplinary experiments and research, where occupants can test different adaptive behaviors, experience alternative energy-efficient measures, and develop personalized resilient strategies in relation to climate change and the buildings they inhabit. The lab not only fosters occupants’ engagement in the sustainable transition but also paves the way for occupant-centric building design and renovation, promoting more effective and personalized energy-efficient solutions. With the IHBI lab, it is possible to investigate technologies and people's behaviors in present and future climate scenarios, considering the Nordic and other contexts. Welcome to the lecture section, where the IHBI group will present the recent research and share our ideas.
Open session with any topic related to sustainable transformations (open for abstracts)
14.30 FIKA
15:00-16:30 Parallel sessions 2
Capacity building for transformative research - workshop (Registration for participation will open later) Pamela Bachmann-Vargas, Geography, Natxo Garciá-Lopéz, Applied Physics and Irina Mancheva, Political Science The call for global action to transform the status quo towards a sustainable future has become a ‘must’ in research, education, and decision making, bringing to the front the question of how to operationalize the desired societal changes towards a better future. Against this backdrop, it is paramount that young researchers develop skills on cross-disciplinary and transformative research. In this session, we will share our experience from engaging in research that focuses on sustainability transformations. Building upon our study visit to the Netherlands inspired by the title of this session, and aided by interactive methods we will discuss key dimensions for capacity building for transformative research. We encourage PhD candidates and young researchers to participate and share their experiences. Given the practical nature of this workshop, registration will be required on a first come first served basis. We expect to work with up to 25 participants.
Understanding climate change adaptation and disaster management together (open for abstracts) Carina Keskitalo, Geography, Veronica Strandh and Malin Eklund Wimelius, Political Science Climate change adaptation and disaster management are strongly related. Climate change will lead to a higher incidence of extreme weather, for which all areas of disaster management are relevant, from preparedness to response. It is also particularly important to consider adaptation and climate risk as a part of disaster management.
This session will discuss the state of integration of adaptation and disaster management, both in relation to each other and in relation to national to local systems. We invite overarching presentations on the theme as well as presentations on either of the two areas, for Sweden or other cases as well as different sectoral examples, in order to reflect on how to reach a higher integration between areas.
Societal “green” shifts in the North as communication challenges (open for abstracts) Annika Egan Sjölander, Culture and Media Studies This session gathers scholars from different fields interested in the communication challenges that are embedded in the societal shifts caused by the so-called green transition of basic industries in the northern regions of Sweden. Communication related to concerns of the commons (read citizens), like the environmental impact of the re-industrialisation, housing shortages in transition hot spots, welfare and quality of life for new inhabitants, increased demand on schools and other public services and not least, the possibilities for broad public participation and democratic involvement in crucial decision-making processes, are important dimensions to research. The journalistic coverage and the media industries roles are pivotal in this context, so is the multitude of communication efforts about the “green” transition initiated by municipalities, civil society organisations (Lindgren et al 2023) and other involved actors, aiming to inform, as well as to engage the public in the current development. One could argue that a ‘Land of the Future’ (Sörlin, 2024) cannot be without significant social innovation (Bonnedahl et al, 2022) including communication for sustainable transformations.
Open session with any topic related to sustainable transformations (open for abstracts)
16.30 Mingle and snacks
Do you want to send in an abstract for any of the sessions? Please submit a 150 word abstract by the deadline September 30, to utri@umu.se
