Synthesis Lab

Compared to analysis, which reduces complex movements or objects to configurations of simpler elements, synthesis collects, combines and composes. The mission of the lab is to complement the predominant analytical scientific research approach at SLU with a synthetic approach based on methods drawing from design thinking and mode 2 science (originally defined by Gibbons, Nowotny et al. in the 1990s) and widely recognised as essential for confronting 21st century challenges. The Synthesis Lab explores and documents synthesis methods used in inter- and transdisciplinary collaborative research. It is run by Adjunct Professor Andrea Kahn, formerly strategic facilitator of SLU Landscape.