Insight Science Leadership Collaborative Lab Vol. 3￼

Greetings! A lot has happened in SLC: our network expanded, and more importantly, we welcome exceptional scientists as part of our cohort. More about that in this volume newsletter. Read more to find out.

Orientation Session: Welcoming the SLC 2022/2023 Cohort

“One small step for humans, one (hopefully) leap forward for science!”

The orientation session took place on 9 June 2022. Like any other program, this was the initial meeting for all faculty members and the cohort. We wanted to share our spirit and excitement of the event with you, click here to see the highlight of our orientation session!

“Strong researchers are not only individuals who can do analysis and publish scientific journals, but researchers who are capable to lead complex projects involving various stakeholders, able to articulately communicate research to the general public, and influence the system and policy for a lasting impact. SLC is important in equipping Indonesian researchers with those skillsets.”

Januar Putra
Advisor, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Who are the scientists in the cohort?
Exceptional, but who indeed? We are more than happy to announce the 30 scientists who have joined us and will be part of this program in the next nine months:

Not only specialized in different fields of study, they also come from various regions in Indonesia. Some of them are affiliated with universities and research institutions, while the others are researchers from civil society organizations and private institutions.

“I sincerely hope that the rich background and experiences in the cohort will enhance their learning experience as science leaders. To quote Beth MacDonald, our learning and development advisor, “the leading edge of science is in the intersections between disciplines, sectors, and technology.”

Prodita Sabarini
Executive Editor, The Conversation Indonesia

In Memoriam: Ricardo F. Tapilatu

We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of one of our cohorts, Ricardo F. Tapilatu. Ricardo or “Rick” was an exceptional researcher and educator, and on behalf of all the SLC team, we believe that his passion and legacy in marine biodiversity conservation shall live on.

Rick developed the nickname “Rick” when he was pursuing his Ph.D. in the United States. The leatherback turtle is the subject of his doctoral dissertation. He was also actively advocating against leatherback turtle hunting, his research disproves the false information related to the trend of consuming leatherback turtles.

His love for leatherback turtles did not end in just doing research and conservation but through the amount of time spent in the ocean. Ever since he was a kid, growing up in Manokwari, playing around the Doberai Penisula, Rick would always invite everyone to the sea to dive and join him, witnessing the wonder and beauty he fought hard to preserve.

Just like the leatherback turtle, the ocean is the core of Rick. He believed that it is our responsibility to take our part in preserving nature and conserving the rich marine biodiversity in Papua.

You are missed, Rick.

Warm Data Sessions

Warm Data is the cutting-edge work of Nora Bateson at The International Bateson Institute. Core to this work is the idea that to understand living and complex systems, there is a need to have information that encompasses a broad field of relationships and interdependencies.

The Warm Data sessions, which took place on 14, 16, 21, 23, and 28 June 2022, were designed to help the participants achieve that through transcontextual learning. More than 170 people from diverse backgrounds participated across the 5 sessions of Warm Data. Not only full of warmth, the sessions were also full of takeaways!

“As a researcher, building a national and global network is a must to achieve the best performance, considering that the task of a researcher is not only to advance science and technology but also to provide enlightenment and be able to provide solutions to the user community, as well as provide evidence-based policy recommendations. The idea from The Conversation Indonesia and SLC should be intensified so that the multi-actor network in cross/multidisciplinary fields is formed. Through this kind of interaction, it can be strengthened and developed. In the future, we hope there will be a follow-up to this session. I believe that some kind of Action Learning Project from one of the two networks formed through these Warm Data sessions talking together about this specific topic so all of us can work together and ensure that the network and connectivity among us will be sustainable.”
Rahmi Lestari
Senior Researcher, Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN)

“The Warm Data session was a fascinating experience for me; I got to train many things, aside from my personal reasons, such as practising my English and conveying my idea; the idea of interacting with people who come from different ages and backgrounds, and they provided me with many exciting points of view that I might not encounter in my daily life. The varying stories coming from everyone were very invigorating.

This kind of interaction is pertinent for us to open up our thinking capacity and broaden our perspective on how we see certain things, especially how one topic could be interpreted in many ways by different individuals and how they see things also matters.”

Abdullah Yusuf Hermanadi
Fine Arts Student, Institut Seni Yogyakarta

“I think it was quite enjoyable. I loved the deep talk and interesting questions that we discussed in the sessions.”

Adiwena Amanda
Middle School Student

Get a glimpse of the sessions here.

SLC Launch Program: Future Possibilities

The Science Leadership Collaborative was officially launched on 18 July 2022!

The event is titled SLC Launch Program: Future Possibilities. The theme Future Possibilities was chosen as part of the launch because we believe in creating distance from worldview and beliefs to consider other possibilities.

On our first launch day, the event was attended by several international speakers, including a Professor from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). She also serves on the Steering Committee of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Prof. Adi Utarini. Followed by a remarkable scientist known for his contribution to developing research and innovation in India, Dr. R. A. Mashelkar. In addition, global permaculture ambassador Morag Gamble and leadership development expert Jaroslav Dokoupil also delivered keynote speeches at the launch.

This launch marked the beginning of the SLC cohort’s learning journey for the next nine months.

Who are our mentors?

SLC mentors come from various backgrounds and fields of expertise; many are exceptional scientists of their own who are willing to share their wisdom in navigating the trial and turbulence of becoming scientists. As of now, we have 29 remarkable scientists from all over the world who have joined the SLC network to accompany their mentees in this nine-month program. Two of them shared their takeaways related to the mentorship program in SLC:

“The role of scientists is very strategic in contributing to the development of a nation. This mentoring program (in SLC) will strengthen the role of scientists not only in producing scientific works but also with alternative solutions that can be adopted into public policy.”

Agus Pramusinto
Professor, Universitas Gadjah Mada

“The program (SLC) is refreshing and much needed for scientists. If there were a similar program made during my time, I would definitely apply and attend the program.”

Ines Atmosukarto
CEO/CSO, Lipotek Pty Ltd

Click here to see the full lineup of our mentors.

Media Highlights: Spreading the SLC Collaborative Spirit

Kompas.com – Sebanyak 30 Peneliti Indonesia Jalani Program Kepemimpinan Ilmuwan, Siapa Saja?

Suara.com – Ilmuwan Diaspora dan Domestik Kolaborasi Dukung Peneliti Muda Indonesia

Tempo.co – 30 Peneliti Terpilih Jalani Program Kepemimpinan Ilmuwan Kelas Dunia

What’s Next in SLC?

Leadership Circle for Leadership Development
We have partnered with the Leadership Circle, which will assist us in leadership assessment and development throughout the program. The Universal Model of Leadership (UML) is an integrated practice and research-based leadership. With that, SLC’s cohort will have access to see an integrated lens of leaders’ vertical leadership development. This report contains a 360 Assessment that measures two primary leadership domains – Creative Competencies and Reactive Tendencies – and integrates this information for opportunities to transform leadership.

Our cohort is working on this assessment by the Leadership Circle alongside an external evaluation from their colleagues. SLC cohort and their evaluators will have to take part in the survey at the beginning and later on by the end of the program.

Knowing about the Organizational Workshop (Barry Oshry)
We believe that professionally or personally, we need to understand the systemic nature of people in an organization. Thus the upcoming work we will have in the Organizational Workshop is scheduled to happen in November 2022.

This particular workshop is based on the work of Barry Oshry. It will be a unique experiential program that gives participants a new lens to see and understand an organization from different points of view. They are dropped into roles as top executives, middle managers, workers, and customers, as close as what they experienced in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing world. It aims to help people see new possibilities for increasing their effectiveness, ability to work strategically and constructively across organizational lines, and eventually growing the success of their organization.