ITD27 Keynote Speakers & Panels
View keynote speakers and biographies.
Over the three full days of activity, the ITD27 Conference will explore the role of inter- and transdisciplinarity in enabling transformative change. It will also examine the changes needed in research, education, and training systems to nurture and support inter- and transdisciplinary approaches.
The conference therefore focuses not only on the contribution of inter- and transdisciplinarity to societal transformations, but also on the institutional, cultural, and structural shifts required for these and other collaborative and engaged forms of knowledge production to flourish.
For each day of the conference, we have invited a group of internationally recognised experts to help frame the discussion and stimulate reflection around three springboard questions:
- What is transformative transdisciplinarity?
- Who develops collaborative knowledge production/use, and how?
- How are we preparing the next generation?
On top of all the parallel sessions, each morning will begin with a plenary session featuring two keynote speakers. Each afternoon will include a plenary roundtable discussion with 3-4 panellists. Opening events and pre-conference activities will be held on Monday, 31 May 2027. Closing events and activities will be held on Friday, 4 June 2027.
What is transformative transdisciplinarity?
Plenary sessions on Tuesday, 1 June will focus on exploring how transdisciplinarity (TD) and transformative change interconnect and what this means in practice.
Keynote speakers
David Ludwig
Knowledge Technology and Innovation, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands
David Ludwig is a philosopher and transdisciplinary researcher focused on questions of social-environmental change and justice. He is interested in scientific methods that challenge “business-as-usual” in academia and that open transformative pathways beyond mainstream sustainability science. He is also the Principal Investigator of the Global Epistemologies and Ontologies (GEOS) project in the Knowledge, Technology, and Innovation (KTI) Group of Wageningen University and Research (WUR). GEOS investigates foundational—epistemological, ontological, and political—questions of inclusive and participatory research that brings together science and local communities in co-producing change. His recent books include: Transformative Transdisciplinarity. An Introduction to Community-Based Philosophy, 2025, Oxford University Press. Global Epistemologies and Philosophies of Science, 2021, Routledge. The Politics of Knowledge in Inclusive Development and Innovation, 2021, Routledge.
Harini Nagendra
School of Climate Change and Sustainability, Azim Premji University, India
Harini Nagendra is Director of the School of Climate Change and Sustainability at Azim Premji University. Her research over three decades spans forest conservation and urban sustainability, with influential contributions in both fields. She has illuminated how human-dominated landscapes in South Asia shape forest ecosystems and highlighted the importance of urban ecosystems for human well-being, particularly for marginalised communities in the Global South. For her work on reconnecting people and nature in cities to foster sustainability and resilience, she received an honorary doctorate from Utrecht University in 2025. She is a Senior Research Fellow at the Ostrom Workshop, an Honorary Fellow at the Institute of Global Sustainable Development, and a former Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change AR5. She has published over 200 academic papers, four popular science books, and writes the Bangalore Detectives Club historical mystery series set in 1920s Bangalore.
Panel
Details and participants will be added as they are announced.
Who develops collaborative knowledge production/use, and how?
Plenary sessions on Wednesday, 2 June will focus on integration experts and expertise and driving change in how inter- and transdisciplinarity skills, competences, and roles are recognised.
Keynote speakers and panellists will be added as they are announced.
How are we preparing the next generation?
Plenary sessions on Thursday, 3 June will examine education and training in inter- and transdisciplinarity and the evolving role of universities in a society urgently needing transformative change.
Keynote speakers and panellists will be added as they are announced.
For questions regarding the ITD27 Conference, please contact Patrícia Bacalhau of the organising team at itd27@uevora.pt.