Publications – Postdoc Independent Projects

From Intent to Impact: Enabling Transdisciplinary Research for Responsible Scientific Stewardship

Publication Date: March 2024 | Originally published in the Journal of Science Policy & Governance

Global challenges are complex and must be tackled in a holistic manner. Understanding and addressing them requires collaboration across disciplines, often uniting the humanities and social and natural sciences, to ask better questions and identify practical and revolutionary solutions. Universities can be excellent vehicles for transformational change as they educate the next generation of civically-motivated thinkers to create meaningful action and impact. Too often systemic, artificial barriers exist within these institutions that prevent meaningful transdisciplinary collaboration from succeeding. We recommend that universities identify grand challenges and foster a culture of cross-department collaboration with appropriate internal and external resources to enable broader impacts. Together, funders and institutional policymakers play a critical strategic role in fostering civic scientists and transdisciplinary researchers to solve multifaceted global problems.
Citation: Wilson Sinclair. From Intent to Impact: Enabling Transdisciplinary Research for Responsible Scientific Stewardship. Journal of Science Policy & Governance. https://doi.org/10.38126/JSPG230207

Keywords: transdisciplinary research; civic science; grand challenges; research funding; institutional initiatives

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Originally published in the Journal of Science Policy & Governance.

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Transforming trash: strategies to develop waste into a feedstock for a circular bioeconomy

Publication Date: February 2024 | Originally published in Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining.

A strategy to develop agriculture and food production waste into biomanufacturing feedstocks that leverages existing, local waste streams; engineering biology; broad stakeholder collaboration; and federal coordination.

Actions to Enable an Equitable and Innovative U.S. Bioeconomy

Publication Date: May 2022

The fourth industrial revolution will likely be fueled by operationalizing biomanufacturing and engineering biology. Critical to realizing the benefits of these opportunities will be a diverse workforce and ensuring that the benefits of biotechnology will be equitably dispersed across the United States. In this policy paper, Albert Hinman discusses workforce development, resource cultivation, and open science opportunities for a more inclusive and equitable bioeconomy.

Agricultural Crop Security: Exploring US Federal Readiness and Response Capabilities

Publication Date: September 2021 | Originally published in Health Security.

The consequences of a large-scale attack on US agricultural crops could have severe implications for food and economic security. Recognition, response, and recovery efforts from such an event would involve local, state, and federal plant health officials in addition to law enforcement. This paper, published in Health Security, describes federal preparedness and response capabilities within USDA and between federal agencies and recommends actions to strengthen federal readiness.

Engineering Microbiomes – Looking Ahead

Publication Date: December 2021 | Originally published in ACS Synthetic Biology.

A companion piece to Microbiome Engineering, this publication highlights the technologies and applications imagined by the roadmap. This publication features a focus on the Distributed Metabolism technical theme and provides compelling examples of how engineered microbiomes might contribute to foods, human health, and transforming the environment.

Publications – Postdoc Independent Projects

From Intent to Impact: Enabling Transdisciplinary Research for Responsible Scientific Stewardship

Transforming trash: strategies to develop waste into a feedstock for a circular bioeconomy

Actions to Enable an Equitable and Innovative U.S. Bioeconomy

Agricultural Crop Security: Exploring US Federal Readiness and Response Capabilities

Engineering Microbiomes – Looking Ahead