Lillian Hansen recently submitted her PhD thesis on “Transitions and projections in the bioeconomy: Lessons for a reflexive governance” to the Department of Sociology and Political Science, at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. The PhD is part of the Research Council of Norway (RCN) project “Biosmart”, led by the Ruralis – Institute for Rural and Regional Research. Lillian has been an active member of the NEST community (Network for early career researchers in sustainability transitions) over the past three years. Adriaan van der Loos (Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University) speaks with Lillian about her experience and future plans.
Lillian, congratulations on submitting your thesis! We know you are still waiting for the commission to review your thesis, so I won’t say ‘congratulations on getting your PhD (yet)’. What is the first word or thought that came to your mind when you handed in your thesis?
Thanks a lot! Perhaps “One big step closer!” 😉 and “hope the committee likes it”…
Your thesis is about transition to and governance of the bioeconomy, what inspired you to pursue this topic?
First of all, it was a wish to somehow be part of moving away from the fossil resources, which Norway is, I would say, so addicted to, economically and socially. At the time of starting my PhD, a lot of projects and RCN programmes focused on finding alternative ways to transition away from fossil dependence and find value creation elsewhere. The Bioeconomy is thought to be one such solution, where you exchange the black carbon of energy production and products with green, biological resources that are more sustainable. Although the project is quite normative in that sense, I also take a more critical stance, looking not only for what promotes this agenda, but also what challenges it, and not least what new challenges such a political project might bring with it. The PhD was a position announced by Ruralis on the project “Biosmart-Managing the transition to a smart bioeconomy”, which gave me the chance to pursue this topic. Both with the research objective of transition already set, but also with the interdisciplinary team of researchers involved, from sociologists and social anthropologists, to biologists and foresight experts. Also, this topic gave me the chance to go deep into the interdisciplinary field of sustainability transitions, and at the same time use my interest in actors’ and structures’ influence on ongoing public policy.
What was one of the best moments during your PhD?
I would have to say the big foresight exercise we pulled together in the Biosmart-team. That was really hard work and demanded a lot of collaboration. But completing these stakeholder workshops and writing up the book chapter [it’s available now!]about the process was one of the most rewarding moments of my PhD. Also, of course, publishing my first peer reviewed article Visions and expectations for the Norwegian bioeconomy.
We know doing a PhD isn’t easy and has its challenging times, what did you do to help get you through it?
My great colleagues at Ruralis. It’s a very small institute, with about 30 employees, but a very good work environment, and space to share your thoughts at any time, either with the person right next door or by the coffee machine. And not least my friends and boyfriend – who supported me so much throughout. Oh yeah – and lots of coffee!
Do you have any advice for PhDs who may just be starting out, but are nervous about four years of the ‘unknown’?
A lot of topics within the area you will do your PhD on will seem really interesting and tempting from the start. But I think that the sooner you narrow it down to your own research topic, the better. Of course, easier said than done, as you will need to widen out before you zoom in, to grasp the complexity of what you are studying. But that is perhaps the one thing I think could have made it easier for myself. Also, ensure good communication and expectation management between you and your supervisor from the start, and preferably even before you start. And have the supervisors give you strict deadlines. At least, that’s how I like it. Deadlines are GOLDEN.
When you weren’t working on your PhD, what did you like to do?
I climbed a lot, and still do, with my friends in Trondheim. Inside in the winter, but as soon the temperature is reasonable, we climb outside. Nothing takes your mind off stressful PhD days like dangling from a mountain wall! Running, backcountry skiing, in general being in the outdoors is my favourite thing to do. Both for the pleasure of it, but to keep me sane amidst busy working days. Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, outdoors activities are getting more and more restricted, especially travelling to mountains far away from the home municipality, but it really makes you appreciate “nærmarka”, the forests and mountains closer to home. Definitely a more sustainable way of enjoying the outdoors.
The NEST community tries to support early career researchers in sustainability transitions by hosting an annual conference, methodology schools, sharing job prospects and generally acting as a pillar of support for our young researchers. What was your favorite part of being involved in this network?
Getting to know other young scholars, sharing ideas and discussing obstacles. But I also really appreciated the experienced scholars taking their time to share thoughts and advice. It gave me a lot to partake in the open sessions on career advice from Dr. Jochen Markard. He is easy to talk to, and very honest!
What are your plans now that you’ve submitted your thesis?
Actually, I have already started my new job, as a Research Scientist at SINTEF Community in Trondheim, where I work with digitization in mobility and just got involved in acquisition writing on the circular economy. I applied in the Autumn of 2019 and got the job right before Christmas (what a Christmas present!). With much appreciated flexibility from SINTEF I got the start date set to the 3rd of February. I delivered my thesis for print on the evening of 2nd of February, so as you might gather, January, and in general the whole last half of 2019 was pretty crazy haha! But I must say, having such a definitive deadline and absolute need to finish, I think was really helpful for wrapping up my “kappe” [introduction chapter] and pulling it all together without dragging out time. In general, knowing you have a new, interesting workplace to come to, is a huge motivation! Although I did not have much experience from transport research from before, I have already gotten use for my knowledge on the field of sustainability transitions and foresight methods. Keeping my eyes open for new projects and collaborators.
Lillian, thanks so much for sharing your experiences with us. Fingers crossed for a smooth review process and good luck with your new position at SINTEF!
Thanks! Hopefully see you at a virtual conference soon 😊
