Building Equitable and Collaborative Community Research Partnerships

Local and international community research partners convened to share their perspectives on ethical and impactful environmental research. Strong community partnerships are essential for conducting rigorous, culturally competent, and solutions-oriented research that respects local knowledge and priorities. Ethical research practices not only foster trust and long-term collaboration but also lead to more effective and equitable environmental policies.

Hosted by the Stanford King Center on Global Development , co-sponsored by the Woods Institute for the Environment, and led by the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability (SDSS), this two-day convening gathered community research partners from low- and middle-income countries, as well as Stanford students, faculty, and staff, for conversations about community-academic partnerships through a sustainability lens.

This event included a day-long workshop for faculty, students, and staff; a half-day workshop for graduate students; and one-on-one meetings to facilitate conversations about how to center local voices in community-academic relationships.

Planning committee:

• Nicole M. Ardoin, Associate Professor in Environmental Social Sciences and Senior Fellow in the Woods Institute for the Environment
• Caroline Ferguson Irlanda, Research Associate, Ardoin Social Ecology Lab
• Rodolfo Dirzo, Associate Dean for Integrative Initiatives in Environmental Justice, Bing Professor in Environmental Science, Professor of Earth System Science and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment, Associate Chair for Diversity and Inclusion in Doerr School of Sustainability