Sharing knowledge is pure joy

Speaking in front of an audience is a privilege, and I start my work by asking myself a lot of questions about the people who are going to listen to me.

Speaking about what?

I can speak comfortably about topics close to my areas of research, including:

German, European and US politics of climate change: actors, conflicts, politics and policies

Political and science communication: media coverage, campaigning, engagement and mobilisation

Science, society and politics: expert knowledge, public dialog, philosophy and critique

Why are they going to be there? What do they care about? How can I empower them to drive the change they want to make happen? What do they want and need to know and understand to do so?

I also take it as an occasion to review my knowledge and do some more research. As a scientist, I spend a lot of time on rather narrowly defined projects. Taking time to zoom out and think broadly is both a luxury and a necessity — after all, my role is to explain large societal phenomena to a variety of audiences.

Most of my presentations take place in front of students and academic colleagues and I cherish the opportunity to engage with people outside that world. I do this in the form of workshops, interactive presentations, but also sit-back-and-listen talks.

Past the tipping point?

Presentation

Hot Politics Lab, University of Amsterdam, May 2021

Which tipping points will we reach first? The physical ones after which stabilising the global climate may become impossible, or the social ones that lead to implementing real solutions to stop things from getting worse and worse?

In this presentation, I share some of the research I conducted throughout my PhD and argue that the situation may be better than we often think. Most citizens support political measures to rapidly reduce emissions, and the public conversation is finally turning towards the much-needed debate about which solutions we're going to pick. A video recording can be found on YouTube

(De-)Politicising Knowledge: a key factor in managing crises

Academic Presentation

ECREA Political Communication Section Conference (Virtual), March 2021

In crises, a lot is at stake, and political actors engage in framing contests about their nature, causes, and consequences. Advancing your view works best when you have the facts on your side, giving an incentive to politically challenge the facts at play.

In this presentation, I reflected on my research in the past years and drew some connections between COVID-19 and the climate crisis. I discussed how politicised knowledge is not only about facts, but also about the actors and institutions that provide knowledge to the public.