When Theory Meets Practice: Transdisciplinary Sustainable Research in Action

Hi everyone, this is Hadi.

I had the pleasure of witnessing one of those rare moments where coincidence meets clarity during a core module at the beginning of my Sustainable Transition M.Sc. journey.

The module was called Transdisciplinary Sustainable Research. Honestly, I didn’t pick it for any deeper reason, the name even sounded a bit rigid, but in hindsight, it couldn’t have been more aligned.

Before I explain why it came to feel so meaningful, let me give a bit of context.
Sekem is an initiative that started in the 1970s with Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish, who envisioned a model of sustainable development that integrates economic, ecological, and social dimensions. Today, Sekem has grown into a network of companies employing around 2,000 people, and works with about 30,000 biodynamic farmers through the Egyptian Biodynamic Association (EBDA). The vision? To transform all of Egypt’s agriculture into biodynamic/organic farming.

Heliopolis University was founded under Sekem’s umbrella in 2009 as the first university in the region focused on sustainable development. It’s here, along with Sekem and the EBDA, that the Farmers’ Health Project was born and where I was brought on as project manager.

My background is in International Studies, with an interdisciplinary minor in Political Science focused on conflict resolution and peace studies and Business Management. Back in 2014, when I first encountered the word "interdisciplinary," I only vaguely grasped its meaning—something about mixing multiple fields into one. But one thing stood out during my studies clearly: the concept of grassroots conflict resolution.

I still remember learning about the three levels of conflict resolution:
 – Government-to-government,
 – Government–mediated by NGOs–to government, and
 – Grassroots conflict resolution—civil society to civil society.

That last one struck me. Whether it was mothers from conflicting communities cooking together or buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh bringing Palestinian and Israeli youth into peace dialogues, it felt like the only approach that truly made sense. Ten years later, that conviction is stronger than ever.

Exactly a decade after my bachelor's, I found myself at the start of this master’s program and in a new role as executive manager of the Farmers’ Health Project. My first job was to design a holistic, community-based approach to evaluating and supporting the health of Egypt’s farmers. Together with clinical specialists at Heliopolis University, we started building the framework from scratch.

I was completely absorbed in this new work during a project in the desert with limited internet access. I remember one moment vividly: we were traveling to the Bahariya Oasis with no internet, just endless sand and long bus rides. I opened up the lecture slides for Transdisciplinary Sustainable Research to catch up. That’s when it clicked.

Transdisciplinary sustainable research isn’t about applying theories to people’s lives, it’s about co-design, co-production, co-integration and co-evaluation. It brings scientists and civil society together to design projects from the ground up, not top-down. That’s exactly what we needed to do with the Farmers’ Health Project.

The module offered different methods of how to apply transdisciplinary sustainable research, one of which was the “10 Reflective Steps.” I realized we weren’t just learning random theories. There’s a reason these methods were developed by specialists: so we can use them!

Our team adapted different transdisciplinary methods to find out from agricultural engineers and farmers what they saw as the biggest healthcare obstacle across Egypt. We mediated the workshops, then invited the people to actively engage by creating mind maps that showed who the most relevant stakeholders were, and how they were connected, as well as playing scenarios out theatrically. I believe the participants were excited not just to receive a lecture from us, which has been common before, but to become the “teachers.”

Since then, we’ve been meeting with society and different experts regularly, whenever we can, to co-design the project with the people themselves.

We learned a lot from these sessions. Now, we’re looking back at the mind maps, which help us understand the real problem and whom to contact instead of trying to reinvent the wheel. Rather than coming up with top-down solutions, why not invite the people who are closest to the problem and streamline their concerns and ideas? That way, we can learn from them, or better yet, learn together, for a future of Egypt that we build together.

We ended up using other methods too and we will continue to integrate other transdisciplinary methods and formats.

What I found beautiful, and what still fascinates me, is how the structure of this fully online master’s mirrored the module’s very concept. Students from Colombia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Germany, and beyond came together to tackle complex, real-world challenges. In our interactive sessions, we reflected on shared concerns like water scarcity and waste management, issues that clearly transcend borders. It gave me hope.

The module didn’t just teach transdisciplinary sustainable research; it embodied it. Ms. Lange guided us into diverse teams and engaged us with real societal challenges in a way that truly reflected transdisciplinarity at its core.

Looking back, what began as a module turned out to be a foundational lens through which I now approach both my academic journey and professional work. It reminded me that real transformation requires us to move beyond isolated thinking, to listen, and to co-create.

In a time of overlapping ecological, social, and economic crises, there is something incredibly grounding about being part of a learning community that practices what it preaches. Transdisciplinary work is demanding, but it is also deeply human. It asks us to slow down, connect, and build solutions not just for people, but with them.

I’m grateful that this unexpected “click” between theory and practice happened early on in my studies. It gave me confidence that I’m on the right path, and that even if the road ahead is uncertain, I’m not walking it alone.

Thanks for listening. I’m looking forward to learning and building more—together.