Omar Diaz Fragoso

I have a Bachelor degree in Industrial Engineering and a Master degree in Methodology of Science from Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Mexico. I got my Master´s in 2021 with a dissertation on the interest of social science researchers in a Mexican university to share research data. As part of my experience during the master’s programme, I participated in the research projects “The Perception of the National Research System Researchers on the Open Science in Mexico” and “Open Science in Mexico: Diagnosis and Strategies to Promote its Culture in Higher Education Institutions and Research Centers of the Country” funded by the IPN and CONACYT, respectively.

Professionally, I worked at the business incubator of the IPN where I built documentary evidence on entrepreneurship, innovation, and knowledge transfer programmes. Also, I worked as a teaching assistant in ethnography in the Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico.

PhD project

Nowadays, it is possible to observe severe modifications regarding the weather conditions throughout the world. This phenomenon threatens the well-being of societies and complicates the management of natural resources. Given the seriousness of the situation, there is a consensus among the scientific community that this problem requires a transdisciplinary approach. Transdisciplinary research features the inclusion of knowledge generated by stakeholders outside of academia. In this regard, the integration of traditional knowledge with science has proven useful in dealing with natural resource management. For instance, some authors argue that the integration of knowledge provides more data, empowers local communities, reduces costs, and delivers relevant results. However, the integration of traditional knowledge and scientific knowledge exhibits some difficulties due to the divide that exists between both knowledge systems. Therefore, the aim of my research is to analyse the integration of TEK and WSK from the perspective of inhabitants of local communities and scientists in Mexico who participate in research projects focused on the preservation of the environment to understand the position of the holders of each knowledge system and contribute to the construction of efficient projects.

Supervisors

• Dr Andrea Jimenez
• Dr Andrew Cox