i2Insights Ambassadors

Meet the i2Insights Ambassadors

kim-bourneNorth Carolina State University, USA; Department of Plant and Microbial Biology

Kim uses i2Insights in her teaching and is helping develop and run the 2025-2026 INTEREACH (Interdisciplinary Integration Research Careers Hub) webinar series that celebrates the 10th birthday of i2Insights: https://www.intereach.org/upcomingwebinars/2025/11/11/2025-2026-dialogue-series-celebrating-the-10th-anniversary-of-the-integration-and-implementation-i2insights-blog-amp-repository

bruce-boyesRealKM Cooperative Limited, publisher of RealKM Magazine

Bruce reposts i2Insights contributions relevant to knowledge management in RealKM Magazine (https://realkm.com/).

alison-devineyNorth Carolina State University in Raleigh, USA; Science and Technology for Phosphorus Sustainability Center (STEPS)

Alison promotes i2Insights whenever there is an opportunity and is helping develop and run the 2025-2026 INTEREACH (Interdisciplinary Integration Research Careers Hub) webinar series that celebrates the 10th birthday of i2Insights: https://www.intereach.org/upcomingwebinars/2025/11/11/2025-2026-dialogue-series-celebrating-the-10th-anniversary-of-the-integration-and-implementation-i2insights-blog-amp-repository

kristine-glauberDuke University School of Medicine, USA; Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute

Kristine regularly encourages colleagues to use i2Insights and is helping develop and run the 2025-2026 INTEREACH (Interdisciplinary Integration Research Careers Hub) webinar series that celebrates the 10th birthday of i2Insights: https://www.intereach.org/upcomingwebinars/2025/11/11/2025-2026-dialogue-series-celebrating-the-10th-anniversary-of-the-integration-and-implementation-i2insights-blog-amp-repository

christine-ogilvie-hendrenAppalachian State University, USA; Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation and Professor of Geological and Environmental Sciences

As a specialist in Integration and Implementation Sciences (i2S), Christine regularly promotes i2Insights value and practical utility. She is also helping develop and run the 2025-2026 INTEREACH (Interdisciplinary Integration Research Careers Hub) webinar series that celebrates the 10th birthday of i2Insights: https://www.intereach.org/upcomingwebinars/2025/11/11/2025-2026-dialogue-series-celebrating-the-10th-anniversary-of-the-integration-and-implementation-i2insights-blog-amp-repository

catherine-hobbsIndependent researcher, Cumberland, UK

Cathy recruits systems thinkers to write for i2Insights.

She brokered the production of the following i2Insights contributions:

  1. A responsible approach to intersectionality by Ellen Lewis and Anne Stephens.
  2. Managing complexity with human learning systems by Toby Lowe.
  3. Viable System Model: A theory for designing more responsive organisations by Angela Espinosa.
  4. Inclusive Systemic Thinking for transformative change by Ellen Lewis and Anne Stephens.
  5. Pragmatism and critical systems thinking: Back to the future of systems thinking by Michael Jackson.

gerald-midgley_thumbnailEmeritus Professor of Systems Thinking, Centre for Systems Studies, University of Hull, Hull, UK

Gerald raises awareness of innovations in systems thinking that may be of interest to i2Insights and also encourages systems colleagues to write for i2Insights, which led to the following contribution:

bin-bin-pearceDelft University of Technology, The Netherlands; Department of Multi-Actor Systems in the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management

BinBin recommends i2Insights to her students, especially PhD students, and discusses it with a global early career research group that she co-convenes.

With BinBin’s encouragement three of her students produced the following i2Insights contribution: Six lessons from students about transdisciplinary learning by Irina Dallo, Jan Freihardt and Juanita von Rothkirch.

BinBin assisted Bianca Vienni Baptista in recruiting contributions from participants at the 2021 International Transdisciplinarity conference.

amalia-turnerDuke University, School of Medicine, USA; Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Amalia is helping develop and run the 2025-2026 INTEREACH (Interdisciplinary Integration Research Careers Hub) webinar series that celebrates the 10th birthday of i2Insights: https://www.intereach.org/upcomingwebinars/2025/11/11/2025-2026-dialogue-series-celebrating-the-10th-anniversary-of-the-integration-and-implementation-i2insights-blog-amp-repository

bianca-vienni-baptistaETH Zurich, Switzerland; Transdisciplinarity Lab in the Department of Environmental Systems Science

Bianca helps make i2Insights visible in Latin America, using it as a teaching resource and by encouraging colleagues to write blog posts, as well as to comment on other posts.

Bianca took the lead, assisted by BinBin Pearce in recruiting contributions from participants at the 2021 International Transdisciplinarity conference.

ulli-vilsmaierResponsive Research Collective

Ulli promotes i2Insights during teaching, research development workshops, trainings and the Td Summer School in Europe, Latin America, Africa, Egypt and the Caucasus region.

Ulli brokered the production of the following i2Insights contribution:

kitty-wooleyFounder, Senior Fellows and Friends and District IV Representative, American Society for Public Administration, USA

Kitty advertises new and re-advertised i2Insights contributions each week on her Bluesky account.

How i2Insights Ambassadors support i2Insights

As you can see from the activities of current (above) and past i2Insights Ambassadors, they amplify the impact of i2Insights in a range of ways, including:
  • encouraging colleagues to contribute
  • using i2Insights in their teaching
  • letting others know about the i2Insights toolkit through talks and magazines
  • advertising i2Insights through social media that we don’t routinely use eg Bluesky (we currently use LinkedIn)
  • organising discussions around i2Insights contributions.

We also welcome support through other ideas and actions. We particularly welcome assistance in improving global reach and enhancing comprehensive coverage.

Improving global reach

Our vision for i2Insights is as a globally-representative and globally-useful repository of tools, showcasing and making available—from all countries—concepts, methods, frameworks, processes, theories, competencies, lessons learnt and perspectives for tackling the complexity of problems. 
 
We welcome support with:
  • attracting authors, commenters and viewers from unrepresented and under-represented countries. The i2Insights statistics identify which countries are unrepresented and under-represented for both authors and viewers. The profile for commenters is similar.
  • alerting us to tools that are missing from i2Insights, especially those developed or adapted in unrepresented and under-represented countries
  • encouraging cross-country commenting on i2Insights tools, as well as fostering interactions around tools and tool use in imaginative new ways, especially if they are relevant to unrepresented and under-represented countries.

Enhancing comprehensive coverage

i2Insights encompasses tools from the many established approaches to tackling complex societal and environmental problems, specifically: systems thinking, action research, inter- and transdisciplinarity, post-normal science, complex systems science, complex project management, design thinking, integrated assessment, mode 2, community operational research, sustainability science, implementation science, team science, change management, impact assessment, K* (knowledge brokering, knowledge management, knowledge transfer, etc) and decision sciences. Where appropriate, i2Insights tools also aim to cover relevant aspects of Indigenous knowledge, as well as country- or region-specific approaches that may not be recognised in the Western knowledge systems. 
 
We welcome support with:
  • reviewing specific approaches to ensure that all relevant tools are covered in i2Insights
  • alerting us to tools from any of these approaches that are missing from i2Insights
  • looking for missing tools by reviewing approaches through the lens of the 14 main topics covered by i2Insights: change, communication, context, decision making, diversity, education, evaluation, institutionalisation, integration, research implementation, stakeholder engagement, systems, teamwork and unknowns.

How being an i2Insights Ambassador can help you

Being an i2Insights Ambassador is ideally a win-win for you and i2Insights. We see at least four opportunities for i2Insights Ambassadors:

  1. Leveraging or building on activities you already undertake, for example, finding suitable i2Insights authors and tools in journals you read; referring to tools from i2Insights in talks you give; and highlighting i2Insights tools in social media you are active in.
  2. Gaining experience or skills, such as learning to run discussions, strengthening your social media presence, or learning how to organise podcasts, while using such activities to support i2Insights.
  3. Building your networks. i2Insights has a wide range of contributors at all academic levels from university executives to graduate students. Helping us strengthen i2Insights can also help you build your networks.
  4. Expanding your knowledge of tools. i2Insights aims to be comprehensive in its coverage of tools for research and education tackling complex societal and environmental problems. If you are interested in tools for particular purposes, you can help identify and recruit the best people to produce blog posts about them.

Past i2Insights Ambassadors

manal-affaraDuring her time as an i2Insights ambassador, Manal Adel Said Affara was affiliated with the Department of Tourism Guidance, Alexandria University, Egypt.

In expanding knowledge about interdisciplinarity and integration and implementation sciences (i2S) at her university, Manal promoted i2Insights to increase Egyptian researcher involvement.

rania-nabieh-m-el-shahiny_thumbnailDuring her time as an i2Insights ambassador, Rania Nabih El-Shaheny was affiliated with the Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy at Mansoura University (Mansoura, Egypt).

In her then role as executive board member for the Egyptian Young Academy of Science, Rania promoted i2Insights through a working group on interdisciplinary research.

During her time as an i2Insights ambassador, Julie Thompson Klein was affiliated with Wayne State University (Detroit, Michigan, USA), as Professor of Humanities Emerita.

Julie promoted i2Insights through her extensive networking, encouraging colleges to write for and comment on i2Insights. She also wrote about i2S in her academic work.

  • Page updated: November 12, 2025