Learning from creative biology: Promoting transdisciplinarity through vocabularies of practice

Transdisciplinary ways of collaborating are considered essential to support new approaches to tackling societal and environmental “wicked” problems. But how can collaborations take place in ways that reach this envisioned state? In this work, we look for cues of transdisciplinarity in the experience of those with a successful track record of working across disciplines. We interviewed 38 practitioners and researchers working in “creative biology”, an umbrella term that we use to address work that incorporates biology-related methods and research outside purely scientific realms. The interviews provide insights into how language can be used to support strategic shifts of positionality and nudge others to step out of their disciplinary realms, which contributes practical advice for those who are looking to collaborate with other disciplines. They further provide examples that can help expand the discussion of transdisciplinarity in design practice and education.