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Every year, the IIASA Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) hosts around 50 young scientists for three months over the course of the summer to undertake a scientific project within the scope of their PhD on a topic related to the IIASA research agenda. In this Q&A, Carolien Kroeze, current Rector Magnificus of Wageningen University and 1991 YSSP participant, recounts her IIASA experience.

IIASA researchers Dilek Yildiz and Guy Abel highlight the benefits of a new statistical model that combines traditional data sources like the census with real-time Facebook data to estimate EU migrant populations, offering valuable insights for policymakers.

The world's population has surged from 1 billion in 1800 to just above 8 billion today, but demographers predict this growth will halt by the end of the 21st century. IIASA researcher Guillaume Marois explains how a new human capital-weighted population metric is reshaping our understanding of global population dynamics and economic potential.

Charlie Wilson and Elena Verdolini share insights and experiences from an expert workshop on the impacts of digitalization on energy, materials, the economy, markets, lifestyles, and society, and how these impacts directly or indirectly affect greenhouse gas emissions.

The way we do science has come a long way—from having only experts work on scientific projects, to where many projects now also include members of the public as participants. This change is thanks to citizen science, which creates opportunities for science to be taken to the next level.

As the world marks the International Day of Zero Waste, Adriana Gómez-Sanabria highlights that the path to zero waste will require a shift in society’s current consumption and production patterns. Originally conceived to shield humanity and the environment from the fallout of our actions, waste management systems must now evolve into engines of sustainability.

Despite advancements in data collection and analysis, bridging the gap between Earth Observation products and policy implementation remains a critical challenge. The upcoming Open-Earth-Monitor Global Workshop 2024 provides an ideal platform to explore the pivotal role of Earth Observation in shaping policies and contribute insights to achieving a sustainable future.

In a world faced with global crises, political agendas, and copyright issues, an obstacle emerges between the public and the scientific community: the gatekeeping of information. Ramon Castañeda explores the impact of open science and its potential to make scientific knowledge more accessible.

In the era of digital communication, myriads of social media and web platforms can be used as vital sources of data, which can help us explore the patterns of how public opinion and reactions are shaped, how new trends emerge, and how the market dynamics work. Being at the forefront of exploring this promising field, IIASA researchers Hossein Hassani and Nadejda Komendantova explain what social intelligence mining is and how can it be used for our collective benefit.

One of the most species-rich rainforests in southern Costa Rica is being digitally recreated. IIASA researcher Florian Hofhansl explains how the project intends to map the biodiversity and health status of the rainforest and attract sponsors.

Xuxia Li spent the past year as a guest research scholar at IIASA. She reflects on her experiences at the institute and her research journey to date, which was made possible by the China Scholarship Council.

IIASA researchers Caroline Zimm and Kian Mintz-Woo explain the benefits of a recently developed operational framework that aims to bring clarity to the often implicit and varied justice considerations in climate mitigation scenarios, fostering a shared language and understanding to enhance decision-making processes in the intricate landscape of climate policy.

Following the International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum in November 2023, IIASA researcher Benigna Boza-Kiss reflects on the contribution from the IIASA EDITS project team to this conference, which brought together experts from various disciplines to discuss multi-faceted energy demand in cities like Vienna.

In a new article just published in The Conversation, IIASA researcher Caroline Zimm, Steven R. Smith and Tim Lenton shed light on the domino effect of positive tipping points and offer insights into the demanding legwork required to catalyze the widespread sustainable transformations outlined in the landmark Global Tipping Points Report recently launched at COP28 in Dubai.

Several IIASA researchers provided valuable input and presented workshops at the North Africa Applied Systems Analysis Center's Diploma Program earlier this year. IIASA researcher Ali Kharrazi shares his insights from this impactful engagement.

In a world where climate action is often framed as a sacrifice, the authors of this article in The Conversation challenges conventional thinking, offering a fresh perspective that views the transition to renewable energy as a tipping game, and highlighting the potential economic benefits and immediate health improvements associated with such a shift.

The newly established International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum provided an opportunity to discuss best practices and present solutions to tackle climate change and achieve a green energy transition. Hossein Hassani and Nadejda Komendantova share their insights from a fireside chat at the event that focused on the role of young people in clean energy transitions.

The most recent instalment of the IIASA Connect Coffee Talk series brought together the institute’s Communications Manager Ansa Heyl, the Head of Communications for the Scientific Advice Mechanism to the European Commission (SAPEA) Toby Wardman, and a participant in the North Africa Applied Systems Analysis Center (NAASAC) Mai Mostafa Awad to discuss their experiences in communicating science to inform policy.

Using the journey of chocolate, from the sun-drenched cocoa plantations to the sweet bars that we all know and love, IIASA researchers Ali Kharrazi and Zuelclady Araujo Gutierrez recently guided a group of young learners through the practical applications of systems thinking and life-cycle analysis in our everyday lives.

Managing land for agriculture has shaped civilization, but it has also led to biodiversity decline and other problems that today threaten the future of humanity. The EU Horizon 2020 FRAMEwork project is supporting a transition to biodiversity sensitive farming by uniting farmer clusters and citizen observatories to protect sensitive ecosystems while ensuring food security.