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New colleague Ananda Wyss joined ELS per September 2024

Published on
September 11, 2024

Personal story Ananda Wyss
PhD Candidate

My name is Ananda Wyss, and I am thrilled to join the Education and Learning Science (ELS) group at WUR as a new external PhD candidate. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ir. Arjen Wals, Prof. Dr. Michael von Kutzschenbach, and Ass. Prof. Dr. Bas van den Berg, my research will explore how regenerative forms of nature-based learning can be incorporated into learning approaches in business schools.

At the heart of my research lies a concern with the growing disconnect between humanity and nature, evident in excessive consumption and overexploitation of natural resources in current lifestyles and business practices. This detachment has led to severe ecological crises, including climate change and biodiversity loss, with far-reaching impacts on human societies. To address these challenges, a paradigm shift toward regenerative sustainability is essential—one that goes beyond merely reducing harm to actively restoring and rejuvenating ecosystems, enabling all forms of life to flourish.

From this vantage point, innovating for regenerative futures and business models presents a societal and business (un)learning challenge. One that calls for a profound reconnection with nature, others, and ourselves as nature, to help (re)build our capacity to think and act systemically and contribute to ecological regeneration. Higher education plays a crucial role in this transition, by enhancing students' understanding of living systems, fostering critical and systems thinking, and providing spaces where creative experimentation and collaboration can occur. This view is reflected in growing calls for transformative, innovative, and transdisciplinary learning approaches. By incorporating principles of nature-based education (NbE) and regenerative higher education (RHE), such initiatives may facilitate a (re)connection with nature and local sustainability transitions, bringing together students, researchers and a diverse set of stakeholders to enhance their capabilities for contributing to regenerative futures. However, more research is needed to understand how these approaches can be effectively integrated, particularly in the context of business education.

Utilizing an Educational Design Research approach, my research will investigate formats, content, and processes, in existing literature and initiatives. Based upon this review, pilot projects will be developed to experiment and evaluate further insights. The findings are expected to enrich current literature and practice in education for sustainability and business model innovation for sustainability.

I am delighted about the opportunity to combine this PhD research with my work as a research associate at the Institute of Management, FHNW Business School, where I specialize in participatory business model innovation processes and sustainability-focused educational initiatives. My work includes projects such as the Think Tank – Business Model Innovation (TT-BMI) initiative, which fosters collaboration between students and companies to co-create sustainability business models, and the Swiss Sustainability Challenge, supporting impact-driven entrepreneurs, along with various sustainability-related learning modules. These experiences have deepened my understanding of the critical role that educational insititutions play in supporting a shift towards more sustainable business practices. Through my PhD research, I look forward to further exploring and contributing to this important field.

Contact: ananda.wyss@wur.nl