On June 02 and 03, the DSIS project hosted a two-day workshop on 'Dynamics of Transformation: Multi Societal System Transformation to Address the Polycrisis' at University College Cork.
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Workshop on Dynamics of Transformation held at UCC
08 Jun 2026
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DSIS Workshop on Dynamics of Transformation
29 May 2026
The DSIS Project team is delighted to welcome members of the DSIS Advisory Group and other experts to University College Cork to discuss the ‘Dynamics of Transformation: Multi Societal System Transformation to Address the Polycrisis’ on June 2-3, 2026. The outcome of the workshop will be a Declaration on Deep Societal Transformation in a Time of Polycrisis. For more information see the programme: DSIS Workshop Dynamics of Transformation June 2026
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Inhabiting Landscapes Meaningfully and Sensually
24 Apr 2026
DSIS PhD student Bob Grumiau and Prof Kelly Salchow MacArthur hosted a collaging workshop titled "Inhabiting Landscapes Meaningfully and Sensually" in the Sustainable Futures Lab, UCC this week.
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'Human Flourishing Across Cultures and Disciplines' - with chapters from two DSIS researchers
17 Apr 2026
The DSIS team is delighted to announce the publication of the Open Access book 'Human Flourishing Across Cultures and Disciplines: Paradigms of Well-Being and Development', edited by Professor Andrej Zwitter, a long-time collaborator of the DSIS Project.
It includes two chapters from DSIS researchers: 'Reimagining a World Fit for our Humanity' by Dr Ian Hughes, and 'Towards a Feminist and Radical Democratic Theory of Human Flourishing' by Professor Maggie O'Neill.
Both chapters, as well as the book itself, are available for download (Open Access): https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/monograph?docid=b-9781350547841
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Registration open for our Collaging Workshop on April 23, 2026
10 Apr 2026
Join our Collaging Workshop "Inhabiting Landscapes - Meaningfully and Sensually" on April 23rd, 2026 from 09.00 - 12.00, followed by a light lunch. The workshop will be led by DSIS doctoral student Bob Grumiau and Kelly Salchow MacArthur, Professor of Graphic Design at Michigan State University, and an Honorary Visiting Researcher at the School of Education, UCC.
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DSIS research presented at "Evaluating transformative innovation policies" Workshop in Seville
12 Mar 2026
DSIS researcher Dr Ian Hughes was invited by the EU Commission’s Joint Research Centre to attend an expert workshop on “Evaluating transformative innovation policies: Emerging practices and challenges in monitoring, evaluation and policy learning for transformative goals” in Seville on March 12.
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DSIS at Conference in Groningen (30-31 Oct 2025)
17 Nov 2025
The International Conference on World Philosophies, Meaning and Transformation was held October 30-31, 2025 at the University of Groningen – Campus Fryslân in the Netherlands.
It explored how global philosophical traditions address meaning, ethics, and transformation in the context of modern global challenges. Dr Ian Hughes made a presentation on behalf of DSIS entitled ‘Live Not by Lies – Transformation to Human Flourishing as Transformation to Authenticity’.
The conference was also shown a short video by twice former President of Ireland, Mary McAleese who spoke of the interconnectedness of the Japanese concept of 'Inochi' with the DSIS work on the 'Sacred Ordinary'.
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24-28 Nov 2025: Join us at the Festival of Social Science
11 Nov 2025
Dr Ian Hughes and Bob Grumiau of the DSIS team will be panelists on Climate Justice and Sustainability on Tuesday, Nov 25th (chaired by Dr Ger Mullally):
Programme for Tuesday, Nov 25th (see link below for full programme Nov 24-28):
9:40am – 10:50am: First Panel: Social Transformations and Inclusions.
10:50am -11.10am: Coffee Break
11:10am -12:20pm: Second Panel: Climate Justice and Sustainability: Dr Martin Galvin, Dr Liz Folan O’Connor, Dr Niall Dunphy, Dr Ian Hughes, Bob Grumiau - Chair: Dr Ger Mullally
12:20pm - 1:00pm: Lunch
1:00pm – 2:00pm: Keynote address: Professor Kathleen Lynch, UCD. Beyond Human Capitalist Education and Research: Epistemic and Affective Considerations
2:00pm - 3:10pm: Third Panel: Researching with marginalised and/or difficult pasts.
3:10pm – 3:30pm: Coffee Break
3:30pm – 4.40pm: Fourth Panel: Gender and feminisms: crafting and care.
4:40pm – 5:00pm: Closing Remarks
Read on ucc.ie -
From evidence to impact: Highlights from the MUSSI Research for Policy Seminar
16 Oct 2025
On Wednesday, 15 October 2025, Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute (MUSSI)’s Research for Policy seminar series hosted Prof. Brian Ó Gallachóir (UCC/MaREI) and Ian Hughes (Department of Education & Youth; on secondment to UCC, supported by the EPA) for a hybrid session on how research and policy can work together, moving from one-off inputs to long-term, futures-oriented collaboration.
Read on youtube.com
The speakers traced a 17-year journey from providing climate and energy modelling to underpinning policy via service-level agreements, co-producing policy (e.g. the 2015 Energy White Paper; carbon budgets), and building absorptive capacity in departments (training, tool handovers, and reverse secondments). They argued that climate action sits within a wider polycrisis, and that Ireland needs stronger, futures-oriented investment in education, social sciences and humanities alongside STEM, plus funding that enables community participation.