Karin Fink

Karin Fink is a Lecturer and Co-lead of the MA Eco-Social Design program at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), School of Design, Film and Art. She joined HSLU in March 2022. Additionally, she serves as a scientific advisor at the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) where she leads the Swiss State of the Environment Report for the Federal Council. Fink represents Switzerland in international environmental networks as National Reference at the European Environment Agency and Advisory Board Member for UNEP GRID Geneva.

As a geographer and relational designer with 15 years of science-policy interface experience, Fink specializes in sustainability transitions and participatory processes. Her research explores how interdisciplinary collaboration combined with traditional knowledge and craftsmanship can foster sustainable lifestyles within planetary boundaries. She has shifted her focus toward community building processes to engage civil society and changemakers in sustainability initiatives.

Fink's notable projects include Ambient Radio - a collaborative learning project exploring the natural world through sound (featured at Sonohr festival 2022), and her 2021 publication 'The Anthroponaut's Wordbook. Art, science and a vital Anthropocene'. Her work consistently bridges art and natural science, digital and analog spaces, connecting policy makers with innovators, activists and artists.

Her recent publications reveal a strong trajectory in eco-social design education, examining how design methodologies can contribute to sustainability transitions through collaborative, cross-cultural approaches across international educational programs.

• Collaborative Exploration in Eco-Social Design: Fostering Cross-Cultural Insights (XPLORE-ESD)
• PhD Program 'Eco-Social Innovation by Design'
• Ambient Radio - collaborative learning project
• Mapping Europe's Environmental Future

Fink's advisory work extends to the Swiss State of the Environment Report and multiple European environmental networks. Her community-based projects emphasize transdisciplinary collaboration, believing that 'small islands of coherence have the capacity to shift the entire system' as noted by Ilya Prigogine. She approaches overwhelming environmental challenges by fostering conversations and relationships one at a time, focusing on small connections rather than confronting enormity head-on.