Read: PhD thesis by Dr Jane Wardani, Monash University, Monash Sustainable Development Institute

Summary

By Dr Jane Wardani

Despite growing recognition of the importance of transdisciplinary (TD) research in addressing complex sustainability challenges, in practice it has been much-hampered by persistent power inequities and disciplinary disconnect. Planetary health as an emerging field offers a unique lens highlighting the need for knowledge integration across the environment, health, and development nexus.

How can researchers across diverse fields collaborate, with renewed focus on dismantling power inequities, and transcending differences to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals?

Drawing upon a meta-analysis of existing TD frameworks, a literature review of practices in these fields, and a case study of RISE, my PhD proposes a practice framework to guide the design and implementation of TD research in power diverse settings (e.g. North-South partnerships).

A renewed focus on addressing power inequities at the start and throughout the process can help ensure stakeholders’ perspectives and interests are equally valued, and potential solutions are not inadvertently excluded as a legacy of systemic power imbalance and shared global colonial history.

A set of questions is provided to guide reflection of some foundational considerations at each stage of the research collaboration.

It is an honour and a privilege to embark upon and complete this PhD. Sincerest gratitude goes to my supervisors, the RISE program, and Monash Sustainable Development Institute for their immense support.

This PhD research is dedicated to the RISE Indonesia team, “the engine of interdisciplinary implementation” – according to one of the research participants.

Honouring the research ethos of reciprocity, I humbly share the following outputs:

Wardani, J., Bos, J. J., Ramirez-Lovering, D., & Capon, A. G. From complexity to integration: Insights for process design from an empirical case study of transdisciplinary planetary health collaboration in Indonesia. Earth System Governance, 23, 100233, 2025

Wardani, J., Bos, J. J., Ramirez-Lovering, D., & Capon, A. G. Towards a practice framework for transdisciplinary collaboration in planetary health. Global Sustainability, 1-53, 2024

Wardani, J., Bos, J. J., Ramirez-Lovering, D., & Capon, A. G. Boundaries as spaces of knowledge integration: Learning from transdisciplinary collaboration on planetary health in Indonesia. Journal of Climate Change and Health, 11, 100242, 2023

Wardani, J., Bos, J. J., Ramirez-Lovering, D., & Capon, A. G. Enabling transdisciplinary research collaboration for planetary health: Insights from practice at the environment-health-development nexus. Sustainable Development, 1-18, 2022

_{RISE Science Days exemplified integration of different knowledge systems, a result of collaboration between community, government, and academic stakeholders. Trust was built over years thanks to the leadership of RISE’s Indonesia team, and their culture of ‘gotong royong’ – a spirit of mutual cooperation.}