Report from the 9th NEST Conference
This year, the NEST conference was organised in a hub format and took place across three continents with 100+ participants. What follows are reports from each of the three hubs:
The African Regional Hub was hosted by the Centre for Sustainability Transitions, Stellenbosch University, on 5 and 6 September. Attendees were grounded in the space through the (Walking) Keynote, where Prof Mark Swilling, as Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Development and Co-Director of the Centre for Sustainability Transitions, took the participants on a walking tour of the Lynedoch EcoVillage and the Sustainability Institute. Mark’s work has spanned academia, activism, and leadership, and his career has been defined by the conference’s theme, Addressing Inequalities and Sustainability Transitions.
We started the Day 2 Methods Workshop with Prof Timo von Wirth, who spoke on transformative research. This was followed by a methods clinic inspired by the DIT Summer School 2024|STRN/NEST Method School as one example of cross-border learning within the STRN!
Participants presented their research during the Peer Review Sessions, where they received focused feedback on their research. We allocated roles to attendees during the peer presentation session as an engaging way to collect meaningful feedback for ECRs. We concluded the conference with an embodied reflection session where attendees were asked to reflect on the question that they would be taking with them as they left, using textured art to depict the question.
We noted that while many students’ research fits within the field of transitions, it’s not always clear to the students that this is the case. In discussing the Global South Transitions community, we were tasked with thinking more inclusively about what Transitions Research is and how to make it more welcoming to scholars across the African continent.
9th NEST participants of the Arifican hub.
NEST Conference Stellenbosch Hub Team – Merin Raju Jacob, Alboricah Tokologo Rathupetsane, Dr Sbonga Mngomezulu, Dr Ric Amansure, Dr Megan Davies and Mapula Tshangela.
The Australian Regional Hub was hosted by Monash Sustainable Development Institute. The inaugural Australian hub took place in Melbourne on September 6, 2024, under the overarching conference theme ‘Addressing Inequalities and Sustainability Transitions.’
This year’s event generated an engaging discussion, including a thought-provoking keynote by Dr. Saurabh Arora on ‘Decolonising Innovation for Addressing Inequalities and Injustices in Sustainability Transitions.’ 18 ECRs from Australia, India, Ghana, Japan, the UK and New Zealand shared impactful research on topics like disaster resilience and empowerment, climate and energy policy, circular economy, and planetary boundaries. The conference closed with a panel discussion where the panelists shared opportunities to engage with different ways of knowing and doing research to decolonize the current research practices. The panelists also shared opportunities for networking, knowledge exchange, discussion, and new collaborations among early career researchers (ECRs) in the Asia Pacific regions on topics related to sustainability transitions.
On 5th September, the day before the conference, MSDI held a workshop on decolonizing relations in sustainability research led by Dr Saurabh Arora, which sought inspiration from artisanal and artistic traditions. The day began with a generous Welcome to Country from Wurundjeri man Thane Garvey, and we were fortunate to be joined by Indigenous weavers and artists from Aotearoa, New Zealand, and from the Taungurung and Dja Dja Wurrung people from the Kulin Nation, who guided participants through their respective weaving practices with harakeke flax harvested from the Royal Botanic Gardens. Participants explored the concept of relationality, colonial modernity, and Indigenous ways of knowing by tearing old modern clothing and weaving the fabric with the harakeke into bracelets and armbands. Discussions reflected on research and teaching practices and prompted tangible commitments to learning and doing things differently to advance decolonization.
9th NEST participants of the Australian hub
NEST Conference MSDI Hub Team – Rachel Walters, Sumit Kumar, Paris Hadfield, Genevieve Bennet
The European regional hub was hosted by the Center for Research on Digitalization and Sustainability (CREDS) at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, at Kongsvinger, on Friday, 6th and Saturday, 8th of September. We welcomed more than 35 PhD researchers, who had the opportunity to present their work to a highly receptive yet critical audience. This led to engaging discussions during the sessions, allowing for a deeper exploration of each topic and contributing to the development of the presenters’ research. Overall, this space was highly valued, as participants were able to connect, share insights, and provide meaningful feedback to each presenter.
We had notable keynote speakers, starting on the first day with Øyvind Bjørnstad, head of sustainability at Vestre. He outlined the company’s sustainability targets for 2030 and discussed the challenges they face in striving to become the world’s most sustainable furniture manufacturer. The involvement of the private sector in the conference was highly appreciated, as it brought valuable perspectives to the discussions. On the second day, as the conference came to an end, we had a keynote from Prof. Benjamin Sovacool, who presented on “Energy, Equity, and Just Transitions”. After his presentation, we opened the floor for discussion, where participants engaged in a thoughtful conversation about the inequalities between different regions of the world and the urgent need to address these disparities to promote a more just transition. We also explored the role of researchers in activism, which sparked an engaging and insightful exchange of ideas and reflections.
We also had a social gathering after the first day of the conference, where attendees went out for a meal together. This provided an excellent opportunity for participants to unwind, network in a more informal setting, and discuss ideas and experiences outside the formal conference environment. Overall, the conference went very well; the care put into every detail by the host institution was clear, and we are very grateful for that. The fact that it was a smaller conference allowed the participants to interact and get to know each other better, which was greatly appreciated. We are looking forward to next year and beyond as we continue to engage and strengthen this network of early career researchers in sustainable transitions
9th NEST participants of the European hub.
NEST Conference CREDS Hub Team– Carla Douglas González, Martin Hanssen, Rolf Findsrud & Jørgen Flint