TY - JOUR

T1 - Disentangling Obstacles to Knowledge Co-Production for Early-Career Researchers in the Marine Sciences

AU - Rölfer, Lena

AU - Elias Ilosvay, Xochitl E.

AU - Ferse, Sebastian C.A.

AU - Jung, Julia

AU - Karcher, Denis B.

AU - Kriegl, Michael

AU - Nijamdeen, TWGF Mafaziya

AU - Riechers, Maraja

AU - Walker, Elizabeth Zoe

N1 - This work is a collaboration between ECRs within the ICYMARE network and the German Committee Future Earth working group “Anticipating and Transforming Coastal Futures”. We would like to thank all (early-career) researchers who have participated in the survey and contributed to the workshop discussions. Thanks to Rebecca Lahl and Barbara Neumann for their valuable comments on the survey design. Thanks to Coleen Vogel for her inspiring input to one of the workshops. Thanks to Philipp Lüßen for illustrating Figure 1. MK acknowledges financial support from the BMBF-funded Humboldt Tipping project (01LC1823D). This work contributes to Future Earth Coasts, a Global Research Project of Future Earth.

PY - 2022/5/13

Y1 - 2022/5/13

N2 - Knowledge co-production involving researchers and non-academic actors is becoming increasingly important for tackling sustainability issues. Coastal and marine social-ecological systems are one example where knowledge co-production is important, yet also particularly challenging due to their unique characteristics. Early-Career Researchers (ECRs) often face specific obstacles when engaging in the process of knowledge co-production. In this perspective paper, we shed light on the particular characteristics of knowledge co-production in marine social-ecological systems and the obstacles ECRs in the marine sciences face. Based on these obstacles, we discuss actions that can be taken at various organizational levels (institutional, community, supervisor, and individual) in order to leverage change towards a more inclusive environment for ECRs engaging in knowledge co-production. We conclude that both bottom-up (individual to institutions) and top-down (institutions to individual) actions are required. However, we emphasize the responsibilities of institutions to create conditions in which the needs of ECRs are met. This will be necessary to adequately support ECRs engaging in knowledge co-production and thus contribute to tackling sustainability challenges in coastal and marine social-ecological systems.

AB - Knowledge co-production involving researchers and non-academic actors is becoming increasingly important for tackling sustainability issues. Coastal and marine social-ecological systems are one example where knowledge co-production is important, yet also particularly challenging due to their unique characteristics. Early-Career Researchers (ECRs) often face specific obstacles when engaging in the process of knowledge co-production. In this perspective paper, we shed light on the particular characteristics of knowledge co-production in marine social-ecological systems and the obstacles ECRs in the marine sciences face. Based on these obstacles, we discuss actions that can be taken at various organizational levels (institutional, community, supervisor, and individual) in order to leverage change towards a more inclusive environment for ECRs engaging in knowledge co-production. We conclude that both bottom-up (individual to institutions) and top-down (institutions to individual) actions are required. However, we emphasize the responsibilities of institutions to create conditions in which the needs of ECRs are met. This will be necessary to adequately support ECRs engaging in knowledge co-production and thus contribute to tackling sustainability challenges in coastal and marine social-ecological systems.

KW - actionable science

KW - career development

KW - co-design

KW - co-development

KW - stakeholder engagement

KW - transdisciplinary research

KW - Environmental planning

KW - Transdisciplinary studies

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85131732187&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3389/fmars.2022.893489

DO - 10.3389/fmars.2022.893489

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85131732187

VL - 9

JO - Frontiers in Marine Science

JF - Frontiers in Marine Science

SN - 2296-7745

M1 - 893489

ER -