Calls, PSC Science-Policy Fellowship

CALL 2 FOR PHD APPLICATIONS – DEADLINE JUL 1, 2020

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Call 2 for PhD applications within the RESPONSE Doctoral Programme «to society and policy needs through plant, food and energy sciences»

RESPONSE DP is offering 7 early-stage researcher’s positions for 36 months (100%) at the interface of science and policy, as well as science and innovation at one of the three world-leading academic host organization – ETH Zurich and University of Zurich.

RESPONSE DP will train ESRs to reflect on their role as scientists in society, contributing with evidence to policymaking and to build capacities to address global challenges in the areas of sustainable food systems, sustainable energy systems and sustainable land use decisions.

For more information about RESPONSE, open positions and further steps (i.e. submit your application), have a look at:

https://www.plantsciences.uzh.ch/en/research/fellowships/response.html

ETH Zurich and University of Zurich are dedicated to promoting the role of women in science, and, therefore, explicitly invites women to apply.

PSC Publications

New Publication in GAIA 28/3/2019: Science-policy boundary work by early-stage researchers – Recommendations for teaching, internships and knowledge transfer

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In our newest publication in GAIA (GAIA 28/3/2019) based on a Delphi study we summarized opportunities and challenges of our educational model: Real-world experience through secondments and co-creation of knowledge with policy organizations facilitates boundary crossing of research results to policymaking in their later work.

Most important for the success of policy work are institutional incentives and resources to engage as academic supervisor and early-stage scientist in the process:

Continue reading New Publication in GAIA 28/3/2019: Science-policy boundary work by early-stage researchers – Recommendations for teaching, internships and knowledge transfer →
Calls, PSC Science-Policy Fellowship

Call 1 for PhD applications – Deadline Dec 1, 2019

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Call 1 for PhD applications within the RESPONSE Doctoral Programme «to society and policy needs through plant, food and energy sciences»

RESPONSE DP is offering 8 early-stage researcher’s positions for 36 months (100%) at the interface of science and policy, as well as science and innovation at one of the three world-leading academic host organization – ETH Zurich, University of Zurich or University of Basel.

RESPONSE DP will train ESRs to reflect on their role as scientists in society, contributing with evidence to policymaking and to build capacities to address global challenges in the areas of sustainable food systems, sustainable energy systems and sustainable land use decisions.

For more information about RESPONSE, open positions and further steps (i.e. submit your application), have a look at:

https://www.plantsciences.uzh.ch/en/research/fellowships/response.html

ETH Zurich, University of Zurich and University Basel are dedicated to promoting the role of women in science, and, therefore, explicitly invites women to apply.

PSC Science-Policy Fellowship

Fixing carbon in subtropical forest to mitigate climate change

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How to transfer the knowledge to farmers

By Yuanyuan Huang

What evidence was useful for policymaking?

Huang et al (2018) in close cooperation between University of Zurich and the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, searched the links between to forests diversity and forest ecosystem services in a large biodiversity experiment in a subtropical forest in China.

Continue reading Fixing carbon in subtropical forest to mitigate climate change →
PSC Science-Policy Fellowship

Effects of seasonal drought on the productivity of grasslands

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Recommendations for a sustainable fodder production in changing climate

by Claudia Hahn

What was the main impact for policy?

Claudia Hahn in her fellowship from European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme, IDP BRIDGES delivered integral knowledge directly for farmers and their farming practices, but also for the future education of farmers. Moreover, this project sensitized the farmers for climate change and associated problems and possibilities. On basis of this highly topical study successional projects have already been started.

Continue reading Effects of seasonal drought on the productivity of grasslands →
PSC Science-Policy Fellowship

The influences of N₂-fixing green alder and atmospheric nitrogen deposition on the nitrogen balance in close to natural ecosystems

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by Dr. Tobias Bühlmann
Alumni in PSC Science & Policy, now at METAS

What was the main impact for policy?

The work of Bühlmann et al. (2017) in cooperation with the University of Basel and the Forum Biodiversity Switzerland resulted in the change of the subsidy system of the cooperation Urseren favoring Engadine sheep in 2013. Furthermore, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) adjusted the model for calculation the indirect NO and N2O emissions from close to natural ecosystems in Switzerland (Bühlmann et al. 2015).

Continue reading The influences of N₂-fixing green alder and atmospheric nitrogen deposition on the nitrogen balance in close to natural ecosystems →
Uncategorized

Science and Policy Mentoring: Careers in Science or Policy, or both?

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11.09; 25.09; 09.10; 23.10; 13.11; 11.12 (16:00–19:00 h)

This course offers a perspective on possible career paths at the interface of science with policy. Recent graduates, including some PSC PhD program “Science and Policy” alumni, and more senior professionals will present their career paths in government, politics, NGOs or private companies.

Course registration required.

Contact: Dr. Luisa Last, luisa.last@usys.ethz.ch, +41 44 632 02 71

PSC Science-Policy Fellowship

How tree diversity improves forest productivity

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By Yuanyuan Huang

Experimental studies in grasslands have shown that the loss of species has negative consequences for ecosystem functioning. Is the same true for forests? Huang et al. (2018) report the first results from a large biodiversity experiment in a subtropical forest in China. The study combines many replicates, realistic tree densities, and large plot sizes with a wide range of species richness levels. After 8 years of the experiment, the findings suggest strong positive effects of tree diversity on forest productivity and carbon accumulation. Thus, changing from monocultures to more mixed forests could benefit both restoration of biodiversity and mitigation of climate change.

Yuanyuan Huang is now an alumni of the PSC Science and Policy program and from University of Zurich. She received a fellowship from the  European Union’s Seventh FrameworkProgramme, IDP BRIDGES, PITN-GA-2013-608422 to carry out her doctoral thesis. In a recent  Nature paper she and her colleagues showed their scientific results on how tree diversity improves forest productivity.

Reference

Huang, Yuanyuan et al (2018).
Impacts of species richness on productivity in a large-scale subtropical forest experiment
Science  05 Oct 2018:
Vol. 362, Issue 6410, pp. 80-83
DOI: 10.1126/science.aat6405

Alumni PSC Science & Policy