Doughnut Science: rethinking academia in a time of climate crisis

How to be an academic in a world on fire?

As scientists concerned about the climate crisis, we set out to rethink the role and goals of the university in tackling the 21st century’s challenges. Inspired by Raworth’s Doughnut Economics, we propose seven new ways to thinking – not only to help us think, but also to act.

Read the paper: Urai AE, Kelly C (2023) Rethinking academia in a time of climate crisis. eLife 12:e84991. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.84991

Read our reflections on its further development, and find guidance to host your own workshop: Urai AE & Kelly C. (2025). Bringing academia within its safe and just space: Reflections on activating scientists. Open Science Framework. https://osf.io/um47d_v1; eLife interview

Watch a 5-minute video below (recorded by Clare for the Social Psychology of the Future meeting). A longer talk by Anne (45 minutes) can be found here.

Map of media, events, responses and impacts globally


Media

Workshops and events

Slides with our workshop materials for 'doughnut academia', adapted from the original DEAL tools on the 'doughnut unrolled' workshop