Arjen Wals

Arjen Wals is a Personal Professor at Wageningen University & Research, specializing in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and transdisciplinary sustainability research. His work bridges academia, policy, and community action, focusing on transformative learning, climate change adaptation, and systemic societal challenges.

Research interests include:

• Relational education and outdoor pedagogies
• Transdisciplinary knowledge co-creation
• Decolonization of sustainability education
• Role of AI (e.g., ChatGPT) in educational practices
• Whole school approaches to sustainability

Key Projects:

• Supervising PhD research on regenerative farming, nature-based education, and business models for sustainability
• Leading initiatives like the 'Whole School Approach' to integrate sustainability across educational systems
• Co-designing river co-learning arenas for multi-stakeholder environmental governance

Media Contributions: Regularly provides expert commentary on sustainability education, climate policy, and societal transitions in Dutch and international media.

Advising: Mentor to 18 PhD candidates exploring themes like wild pedagogies, food systems governance, and climate resilience.