Fostering Reflexivity on Roles of Scientists in Societal Transformations: A Conceptual and Institutional Approach by the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT)

How scientists and science communicators position themselves in processes of societal transformation has become a crucial question for sustainability-oriented research. Expectations about the functions of science—ranging from providing neutral evidence to actively engaging in societal change—are diverse and sometimes conflicting. Against this backdrop, the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) launched an initiative to promote reflexivity and institutional learning on roles of scientists and science communicators in society. The project aims to strengthen awareness, dialogue, and competence regarding different roles scientists can assume at the science–society interface.

The initiative builds conceptually on the SCNAT publication “Roles of Scientists in Sustainability Transformations: A Guide for Reflection and Workshop Facilitation” (Studer et al., 2025). The guide proposes a framework that distinguishes among multiple, complementary roles of scientists—such as the pure scientist, honest broker, issue advocate, and process facilitator—and encourages reflection on values, expectations, and responsibilities associated with each. It provides a structured methodology for guided reflection and collective discussion within research institutions, scientific associations, and among individual experts, for example in transdisciplinary projects.

Building on this conceptual foundation, the SCNAT develops dialogue spaces and provides an overview of resources that support scientists and knowledge intermediaries in clarifying their societal positioning. It aims to motivate research institutions to integrate role reflection into education and professional development, to foster public debate on benefits and risks of scientific engagement in societal transformation processes, and to strengthen the role awareness of actors within the SCNAT network itself. By enabling differentiated understanding and communication of scientists’ roles, the initiative contributes to a more reflexive, transparent, and trustworthy interface between science, policy, and society.

Through its conceptual and institutional approach, the SCNAT initiative seeks to advance the collective capacity of the scientific community to engage effectively and responsibly in sustainability transformations—bridging disciplinary, professional, and societal perspectives.

Further information can be found here: https://naturalsciences.ch/roles_of_scientists/transformations