SOCRATES Summer School 2026: "Bridging the Gap: Science, Trust, and the Climate Crisis"

The SOCRATES group – Social Credibility and Trustworthiness of Expert Knowledge and Science-Based Information – invites applications for its Summer School 2026:

Bridging the Gap: Science, Trust, and the Climate Crisis

1 September 2026 13:00 CEST – 4 September 2026 13:00 CEST, Leibniz University Hannover, Germany

with our great speakers Dr. Viktoria Cologna (Eawag Switzerland), Prof. Dr. Vincent Lam (University of Bern), Prof. Stephan Lewandowsky (University of Bristol), Prof. David Stainforth (London School of Economics), and Prof. Dr. Mathias Frisch (Leibniz University Hannover).

A growing body of evidence suggests that many climate change impacts might be more severe or occur sooner than older climate models had projected. And yet, at the same time, the sense of urgency regarding the climate crisis in the public and political sphere seems to be declining. This ’perception gap‘ or disconnect is not due to a lack of scientific evidence but seems to be at least partly fuelled by a crisis in communication, credibility, and trust. 

Our three-day summer school has the aim of examining challenges posed by this disconnect from different disciplinary perspectives. Our aim is to explore why arguably compelling scientific evidence often fails to translate into societal action. The event will bring together PhD candidates from several disciplines for interactive sessions, talks by senior scholars, and opportunities to present and discuss their work in a supportive and engaging environment. 

We invite applications from researchers with the following profile:

• Pursuing a PhD in philosophy, sociology, psychology, communication and media studies, or a related discipline, with a dissertation focussing on topics explored at the summer school;
• Associated with an academic institution (university, non-university research institution); and
• Willing to actively participate in the interactive sessions of the Summer School and give at least a 3-minute elevator pitch of your project; longer presentations are optional.

Travel and accommodation costs as well as the Summer School dinner are at the participant’s expense.

Deadline for applications: 13 February 2026 (23:59 CEST). Please find more information and the application form on the event webpage.

SOCRATES is a Centre for Advanced Studies funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and is based at the Institute for Philosophy at Leibniz University Hannover. It is headed by Prof. Dr. Mathias Frisch (as speaker) and Prof. Dr. Torsten Wilholt.

More information about SOCRATES can be found at https://www.socrates.uni-hannover.de/en/