Face of the LIB: Simone Rödder

What does nature mean to you personally? Do you have a favourite place in nature?

I'm one of those people who tick both when asked "Sea or mountains?" in my friends' book because I can't decide. I can relax wonderfully in both landscapes. In Hamburg, the botanical garden in Klein Flottbek is my favourite place because the presentation of the diversity of plants there is combined with the aim of transferring knowledge. There are also various animal and plant species to discover on a walk in the Eppendorfer Moor nature reserve in the centre of Hamburg.

What drives you as a researcher?

Over a hundred years ago, the sociologist Max Weber wrote about science as a profession: "Nothing is worth anything to man as a human being that he cannot do with passion." This passion, above all curiosity and the need to understand connections, is the most important driving force behind my scientific work.

What led you to biology and then to scientific research?

I studied biology to become a science journalist. In the lecture theatre, I was extremely fascinated by the enthusiasm with which the zoology lecturers in particular presented their collections and areas of specialisation. We had a professor who probably knew more about a particular lobster than anyone else in the world. For me, I quickly realised that I was more fascinated by the scientists' passion for their research subjects than the lobster. I wanted to understand how science functions as a social system, how it is that scientific knowledge is granted a special authority in our society and by means of which types of communication this is achieved. I then had the good fortune to do my doctorate at Bielefeld University in an interdisciplinary research training group on the sociology, philosophy and history of science with a thesis on the medialisation of human genome research, and thus embark on the path to science research.

To what extent does your research and museum work have an impact on society?

In my current research projects, I am working on various aspects of science communication, scientific policy advice and museum work on the major sustainability issues of biodiversity loss and climate change, on topics that are less visible to the public, such as eternity chemicals or PFAS, and on the coronavirus pandemic. The experiences with the pandemic in particular have made it clear how essential a better understanding of science communication is in crisis situations and how important it is to be better prepared for future challenges.

How would you like to promote encounters and dialogue between science and society?

As the new head of the Centre for Knowledge Transfer, I am very much looking forward to working with my team in Bonn and Hamburg to further develop the numerous established science communication formats at the Natural History Museum. This includes, for example, dovetailing school education with the museum as an extracurricular learning venue, one of the most promising formats in science communication. Museums offer a unique space for dialogue between science and the public. My aim is to utilise these platforms for an open exchange, to create new points of contact and to promote innovation in the field of science communication.

How would you like to combine the topics of biodiversity change and sociology in the LIB?

I am particularly keen to interlink my sociological research on science with the practice of biodiversity communication in museums. Research, teaching and museum work should enrich each other and learn from each other. To this end, I will initiate a new colloquium in which exciting guests from science and practice will alternately present their perspectives and encourage discussion. The aim is to create a lively exchange that will provide new impetus for research and communication.

How do you combine your activities at the University of Hamburg and the LIB?

As a professor, I have always enjoyed interdisciplinary work and research-orientated teaching, and I now bring this experience to the LIB - now in my position as Professor of Sociology, in particular Science Communication and Museum Development at the University of Hamburg. Current transdisciplinary projects such as the establishment of a knowledge transfer network on fruit-growing soils in the Altes Land region are an ideal fit with the LIB's areas of specialisation. I look forward to implementing future projects together and working closely with the other LIB centres.

What is particularly exciting for you at the LIB?

Firstly, I'm looking forward to getting to know my team and the diverse knowledge transfer activities at the LIB better. I find it particularly exciting to meet visitors to the museums in Hamburg and Bonn - their perspectives, their questions and their interest in current scientific topics enrich what we do and the direction of our programmes. And last but not least, I am looking forward to the new building in Hamburg, which will open up completely new opportunities for knowledge transfer.

Prof. Dr Simone Rödder has headed the Centre for Knowledge Transfer at the LIB since 1 October. At the same time, she has taken up a professorship for sociology, in particular science communication and museum development, at the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Hamburg.

After completing her degree in biology at the Universities of Mainz and Glasgow, Simone Rödder gained her doctorate in sociology of science at the University of Bielefeld in 2008. At the same time, she trained as a journalist and worked freelance for leading science editorial offices. After working as a guest researcher at various institutes and as a project manager in a BMBF project, she was a junior professor of sociology, in particular science studies, at the University of Hamburg (UHH) from 2017, including in the Cluster of Excellence "Climate, Climatic Change, and Society" (CLICCS). In 2024, she completed her habilitation at UHH with a thesis on the controversial nature of climate expertise.