Interdisciplinary Doctoral Education and the UN Sustainable Development Goals: A Case Study on the Agenda 2030 Graduate School at Lund University

Abstract

The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a framework for “peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future” (UN, 2015). At Lund University, an interdisciplinary Graduate School is initiated to tackle the growing societal challenges, utilizing the SDGs framework. We here investigate how the SDG framework influences the choice of research topics and supervisors in doctoral education, both in the beginning of doctoral studies and over time. We use semi-structured interviews with three doctoral students and with the Graduate School’s coordinator. We conclude that while the SDGs provide a shared language and framework for discussions, the research is mostly disciplinary.