MCC group leader Martin Kowarsch appointed Adjunct Professor in Denmark

The PhD philosopher Martin Kowarsch, head of the working group Scientific Assessments, Ethics and Public Policy at the Berlin-based climate research institute MCC (Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change), is now also an Adjunct Professor at Aalborg University. According to Danish law, this title can be awarded “to persons of high professional standard whom the institution wants to honour with this title and thus attach closer to the university". Kowarsch will teach in Aalborg in blocks, and there might also be joint research projects with Aalborg University’s Centre for Applied Philosophy.

In terms of content, the focus is on how to design the interface for a productive exchange between science, politics, and society on controversial topics and, for example, how to develop appropriate formats for public participation. In Germany, only last week the parliament decided to set up a Citizens' Assembly on Nutrition. And for three years now, the Ariadne Citizen Deliberation has existed as part of the energy transition project of the same name funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The MCC is a project partner of Ariadne, and Kowarsch heads essential parts of the Citizen Deliberation.

“It is a great honour for me that this particular university has appointed me to its teaching staff,” says MCC researcher Kowarsch. “The interdisciplinary and distinctly practice-oriented approach observed there offers great opportunities to develop good concepts for the urgently needed exchange on controversial political issues. After all, such an exchange is not just of factual issues, but also of different values and norms existing in society. It is therefore an exciting field of application for applied philosophy."

MCC Director Ottmar Edenhofer says of the call from Aalborg: “This great invitation to academic networking is also highly gratifying for us as an institute. It is a confirmation that here, policy dialogue is not only practised but also researched in an outstanding way. This is about good decision-making, transparent communication, and social acceptance – all of which are indispensable for the success of climate policy."