Convergence research for sustainable regional systems
Summary: Convergence research addresses societal and environmental challenges by co-creating knowledge across disciplinary boundaries, often in deep collaboration with extra-academic parties to ensure that the research process is solution-focused, actionable, and just. As part of National Science Fo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-08-01
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| Series: | iScience |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225013653 |
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| author | Heejun Chang Brian Roe Murat Erkoc Josiah Heyman Katherine Foo Debankur Sanyal Debjyoti Banerjee Richard Rushforth Jaishri Srinivasan |
| author_facet | Heejun Chang Brian Roe Murat Erkoc Josiah Heyman Katherine Foo Debankur Sanyal Debjyoti Banerjee Richard Rushforth Jaishri Srinivasan |
| author_sort | Heejun Chang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: Convergence research addresses societal and environmental challenges by co-creating knowledge across disciplinary boundaries, often in deep collaboration with extra-academic parties to ensure that the research process is solution-focused, actionable, and just. As part of National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research projects on sustainable regional systems, we present multiple perspectives on conducting convergence research within the coupled social-ecological-technological systems framework. These projects explicitly engage extra-academic parties to co-design and co-produce knowledge throughout all stages of this participatory research. We introduce the 3 C’s model as a framework that links a research team’s Communication, Collaboration, and Creation decisions to the likely degree of convergence and societal change achieved. This model assesses the degree of integration among different social sciences, biophysical sciences, engineering, and other scientific disciplines, as well as extra-academic partners ranging from governmental agencies and industries to non-profit organizations and tribal communities. Integration in this context is assessed by its ability to situate local problems within broader systemic lenses, resolve conflicts among the priorities of partners, and conduct cutting-edge research that addresses real-world needs with actionable sustainability solutions. By synthesizing inclusive and just practices of conducting convergent research across a selection of research teams, we provide recommendations for academic researchers and administrators to encourage and advance convergence research in solving challenging sustainability issues. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6929986f62924e309a0e41d59b9f2be2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2589-0042 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | iScience |
| spelling | doaj-art-6929986f62924e309a0e41d59b9f2be22025-08-20T02:56:39ZengElsevieriScience2589-00422025-08-0128811310410.1016/j.isci.2025.113104Convergence research for sustainable regional systemsHeejun Chang0Brian Roe1Murat Erkoc2Josiah Heyman3Katherine Foo4Debankur Sanyal5Debjyoti Banerjee6Richard Rushforth7Jaishri Srinivasan8Department of Geography, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA; Corresponding authorDepartment of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USADepartment of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USADepartment of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USADepartment of Integrative and Global Studies, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USADepartment of Environmental Science, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USADepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USASchool of Complex Adaptive Systems, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USAValley Institute of Sustainability (VISTA), University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, USASummary: Convergence research addresses societal and environmental challenges by co-creating knowledge across disciplinary boundaries, often in deep collaboration with extra-academic parties to ensure that the research process is solution-focused, actionable, and just. As part of National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research projects on sustainable regional systems, we present multiple perspectives on conducting convergence research within the coupled social-ecological-technological systems framework. These projects explicitly engage extra-academic parties to co-design and co-produce knowledge throughout all stages of this participatory research. We introduce the 3 C’s model as a framework that links a research team’s Communication, Collaboration, and Creation decisions to the likely degree of convergence and societal change achieved. This model assesses the degree of integration among different social sciences, biophysical sciences, engineering, and other scientific disciplines, as well as extra-academic partners ranging from governmental agencies and industries to non-profit organizations and tribal communities. Integration in this context is assessed by its ability to situate local problems within broader systemic lenses, resolve conflicts among the priorities of partners, and conduct cutting-edge research that addresses real-world needs with actionable sustainability solutions. By synthesizing inclusive and just practices of conducting convergent research across a selection of research teams, we provide recommendations for academic researchers and administrators to encourage and advance convergence research in solving challenging sustainability issues.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225013653Environmental scienceEnvironmental policy |
| spellingShingle | Heejun Chang Brian Roe Murat Erkoc Josiah Heyman Katherine Foo Debankur Sanyal Debjyoti Banerjee Richard Rushforth Jaishri Srinivasan Convergence research for sustainable regional systems iScience Environmental science Environmental policy |
| title | Convergence research for sustainable regional systems |
| title_full | Convergence research for sustainable regional systems |
| title_fullStr | Convergence research for sustainable regional systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Convergence research for sustainable regional systems |
| title_short | Convergence research for sustainable regional systems |
| title_sort | convergence research for sustainable regional systems |
| topic | Environmental science Environmental policy |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225013653 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT heejunchang convergenceresearchforsustainableregionalsystems AT brianroe convergenceresearchforsustainableregionalsystems AT muraterkoc convergenceresearchforsustainableregionalsystems AT josiahheyman convergenceresearchforsustainableregionalsystems AT katherinefoo convergenceresearchforsustainableregionalsystems AT debankursanyal convergenceresearchforsustainableregionalsystems AT debjyotibanerjee convergenceresearchforsustainableregionalsystems AT richardrushforth convergenceresearchforsustainableregionalsystems AT jaishrisrinivasan convergenceresearchforsustainableregionalsystems |