Abstract call is open for resilience-themed session by the FRONT programme at AIS2025 in Oulu
We are happy to tell that the 47th Association for Interdisciplinary Studies Conference (AIS2025): Shaping the Future in the Era of Polycrisis will be held in June 4-6, 2025, at the University of Oulu, Finland. FRONT research programme organizes an open resilience-themed session at the conference, and the Abstract Call is open until 14th of February 2025, 23:59 (UTC+2, Eastern European Time).
It is possible to submit an abstract for an open session or submit an independent abstract. To start, familiarize yourself with the Open sessions. More information about the Abstract Call and the abstract submission form can be found on the conference website. The author(s) of the accepted abstracts will be invited to present their work at the conference, and their abstracts will be published on the conference website.
The international conference is intended for all those involved with multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research and teaching. The conference is co-organized by University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences, and FRONT research programme is one of the organizers. Submit your abstract on the web page.
For whom is the abstract call
The AIS25 Organizing Committee invites an international array of advanced scholars, emerging academics, trainers, educators, administrative staff, graduate students, funders, education policy makers, artists, and other professionals to address the conference theme with interdisciplinary approaches, creative problem-solving and knowledge creation. Early career scholars and graduate students are especially encouraged to submit proposals.
For AIS25, we invite contributions from all fields and research cultures, ranging from local interdisciplinary and interprofessional projects to large international and global projects. The conference invites you to discuss the complexities, systemic approaches on interdisciplinarity and the era of polycrisis affecting entire systems whether they are biological, social, technical, medical, digital, cultural or any other.
Join us to share the best practices of shared knowledge-building without forgetting the more theoretical foundations of inter- and transdisciplinary knowledge creation.
Join our open session “295: Interdisciplinary Resilience Research in the Era of Polycrisis”
At AIS2025, we have open session with resilience theme, organized by FRONT research programme, titled (295.) Interdisciplinary Resilience Research in the Era of Polycrisis.
Resilience has become an important framework for thinking about the relationship between people, nature, and change, and how to guide and transform our way of living towards enhancing sustainability. It is assumed that resilience approaches could strive to pragmatically change our relationship with nature in ways that would lead to more sustainable futures (Grove, 2018). There is a plethora of ways to understand what resilience means, how to study and measure it, and how it relates to sustainability in different socio-ecological contexts and scales. In general, resilience refers to the capacity of a unit or a system to prepare for, respond to, and recover from external or internal adverse events and shocks, while maintaining their capacity to function and develop (Folke, 2016).
Resilience is a highly complex set of relationships, and its research has become increasingly critical but also challenging due to the multitude of changes, shocks, and related risks. These are estimated to be further intensified in the future, forming complex polycrises that integrate myriad emergent crises, such as climate change, sixth mass extinction, financial insecurity, and global shifts in geopolitics, among others. All this calls for interdisciplinary research and multiscalar analysis on how we understand resilience and how can study it in various socio-ecological research contexts. This session provides a platform for interdisciplinary discussions on resilience research in the context of the ongoing and intensifying polycrisis. The session welcomes both conceptual papers and empirical case studies.
The session is based on a short opening introduction and individual scientific oral presentations. After each presentation there will be a short period of time to provide comments and/or questions from the audience. In addition, the session is used as a platform for an edited book process. The session is sponsored by the FRONT Research Program. Conveners, FRONT research programme, University of Oulu: Jarkko Saarinen, Aleksi Räsänen, Maria Ojala, Hanna Komulainen and Tapio Nykänen.
Submit your abstract on the conference webpage.
Other resilience -themed sessions
Here are other resilience-themed sessions at the AIS2025 confrence thta one can join or submit an abstract for:
Pre-conference workshop (no submissions)
Before the conference FRONT and ANTS research programmes are co-organizing a pre-conference workshop that is free for anyone interested to join. Workshop “Working Together: Addressing Polycrisis Through Interdisciplinary Research at the University of Oulu” is held on Wednesday, June 4, 09:00-11:00, read more on the webpage.
Closed session: Interdisciplinary sustainability and resilience research in the age of Anthropocene (no submissions)
The Anthropocene is considered as the new epoch in which human activity has become the dominant force influencing nature, the environment and our future. The Anthropocene has come into popular use in current discussions on human-nature relations, but it is also highly debated, especially in social sciences and humanities. The term refers to human driven global environmental crisis that has emerged towards a complex polycrisis integrating different critical processes, such as climate change, sixth mass extinction, wars and conflicts, financial crisis, and global shifts in geopolitics, for example.
Interestingly, the Anthropocene is demonstrating a deeply integrated connection of nature and people, challenging the traditional duality thinking between human societies and nature (environmental societies), empowering us to see that there is no us without nature. The Anthropocene and changing human-nature relations call for critical thinking and inter- and transdisciplinary research on how we could mitigate our impacts on environment and adapt to our future. This round table will discuss these needs and challenges for interdisciplinary research for sustainability and resilience building, especially in the Arctic contexts but also beyond.
Conveners (conveners in bold will be present in Oulu): Jarkko Saarinen, University of Oulu & Marko Mutanen, University of Oulu.
Open session 326: Multidisciplinary Solutions to the Climate Change and Biodiversity Challenges
The accelerating impacts of climate change and the concurrent loss of species diversity present some of the most pressing challenges of our time. Addressing these complex issues requires a multidisciplinary approach that integrates insights from various scientific fields. This session aims to bring together researchers to explore innovative solutions that leverage the strengths of multiple scientific disciplines. This session is inviting contributions that highlight the interdisciplinary approach to climate science, ecology, genetics, environmental engineering,economics and social sciences. The session approaches the issues related to climate change and biodiversity challenges through a key note talk, case studies presented by oral and poster presentations.
Conveners (conveners in bold will be present in Oulu): Seppo Vainio, University of Oulu, Jouko Inkeröinen, University of Oulu, Riitta Kamula, University of Oulu & Pirjo Taskinen, University of Oulu.
Open session 325: Multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches in tourism research: between sustainability transition, crisis and resilience
Over the last several years, scholars have pointed to the limitations of tourism research’s ability to enhance multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to issues like sustainability, climate change, ecological restoration and resilience. The tendency in the field is to rely predominantly on theories and concepts from the social sciences with comparatively less research engaging with the other branches of science or the humanities. Nevertheless, there have been calls to move beyond the current status quo as disciplinary boundaries are not only unnecessary for academic advancement but may actually hinder advancement in these complex research areas, especially in a field like tourism.
Conveners (conveners in bold will be present in Oulu): Alberto Amore, University of Oulu & Bailey Ashton Adie, University of Oulu.
Open session 350: Nature-Positive Business Strategies in the Era of Polycrisis: A Systems thinking perspective
This session, Nature-Positive Business Strategies in the Era of Polycrisis: A Systems thinking perspective, invites researchers and practitioners to explore nature-positive approaches that go beyond traditional sustainability. “Nature-positive” is a global call for action for all stakeholders which aims to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 and achieve full recovery by 2050. The traditional linear economic model, characterized by exploiting the nature through resource extraction, production, and disposal, has led to significant environmental degradation, including resource depletion and waste accumulation. In the face of complex, interconnected global crises, we aim to examine how systems thinking can be utilized to drive transformations that not only mitigate environmental footprints but also actively enhance ecosystems through positive handprints.
This session seeks to foster collaborative insights into how organizations can transition toward regenerative models, ensuring long-term resilience and ecological integrity. Conveners (conveners in bold will be present in Oulu): Navid Yaraghi, University of Oulu & Julius Gomes, University of Oulu.
Open session 316: One Health approach to study the health of humans, animals and environment in the Arctic
One Health approach recognizes the interdependence of human, animal, and environmental health. This holistic approach to the well-being of all will lead to improved health outcomes and enhanced resilience. One Health is interdisciplinary and inclusive; it invites the participation of community members, scientists, health practitioners, and government agency personnel to identify problems and create realistic sustainable solutions. One Health also provides a platform to integrate different knowledges, such as indigenous and scientific, to bring a deep knowledge base and allow us to understand and address issues at their root causes. In this session, we will discuss the application of One Health in the context of Arctic changes.
Conveners (conveners in bold will be present in Oulu): Anastasia Emelyanova, University of Oulu & Arja Rautio, University of Oulu.
Open session 343: City-Engaged Research
Engaged research offers an interdisciplinary approach and method for systematic knowledge production not only for society but with and within society. In this scope, City-Engaged Research assumes knowledge, insight and expertise that comes from a variety of sources - researchers, citizens, policy makers, practitioners - and that research outputs are concerned with the process of co-production of knowledge through partnerships for city impact.
The UNIC Centre for City Futures, as part of UNIC The European University of Cities in Post-Industrial Transition, serves as the intermediary between universities, cities, and stakeholders interested in societal improvement. The UNIC Centre for City Futures embraces cities as integral partners, which cultivates a dynamic ecosystem of learning and collaboration to tackle the multifaceted challenges of our rapidly evolving urban landscape.
Conveners (conveners in bold will be present in Oulu): Sari Hirvonen-Kantola, University of Oulu, Martin Galvin, University College Cork/UNIC The European University of Cities in Post-Industrial Transition, Veli-Matti Keloneva, City of Oulu, Anna-Miia Suihkonen, University of Oulu/UNIC The European University of Cities in Post-Industrial Transition & Gabriel Olegário, University of Oulu/UNIC The European University of Cities in Post-Industrial Transition.
Read more about AIS2025 and submit your abstract on the conference webpage.