Ninad Bondre

I support and advise the university’s researchers on developing compelling grant applications that convey the importance, timeliness and expected impact of proposed research. I can assist with both complex, multistakeholder applications (e.g., Mistra and Horizon 2020) and more focused, single-PI applications (e.g., Vetenskapsrådet, Formas and the European Research Council).

I am well versed with topics that span the natural and social sciences and the humanities, for example the science and politics of climate change; climate communication; sustainability science; and urbanization. I can contribute throughout the application-development process by: 1) helping to crystallize concepts and choose the right frame; 2) guiding the drafting; 3) editing in depth to improve narrative, organization and flow; and 4) providing a detailed evaluation of the application’s strengths and weaknesses.

Along with my colleagues at the Grants Office, I monitor the landscape of research and funding continuously, so you can always approach any of us for more information about specific calls or help in establishing collaborations.

My early research focused on the physical and geochemical aspects of ancient volcanism: I looked at small volcanoes that erupt only once as well as gigantic accumulations of volcanic material that have no modern analogues. Although I am not active in this field anymore, I continue to review the occasional paper or grant proposal and engage in discussions.

More recent research has focused on diverse topics such as the role of cities/urbanization in sustainability and the many facets of the Anthropocene narrative.

I also analyse diverse topics of contemporary debate on a regular basis (e.g., capitalism and climate change, science and society, etc) and publish commentaries, blog posts and letters to the editors of major newspapers.

Having obtained my Master’s degree in India, I moved to Miami University (Ohio, USA) to pursue research on ancient volcanism, for which I received a doctoral degree in 2006. Following a short postdoc, I was appointed as an associate editor of Nature Geoscience, which publishes research in the Earth, environmental and planetary sciences. At the journal’s London office, I managed the peer-review process; commissioned, edited and wrote a variety of pieces; and maintained close relations with the research community.

In 2009, I moved to Sweden to take up an editorial and advisory position at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. There, I worked at the secretariat of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), a large and complex global network of researchers that explored various facets of climate and environmental change. This was a multidimensional role that involved research coordination and facilitation; synthesizing research and communicating key messages to scientists, policymakers and other stakeholders; and building scientific and communication capacity.

Following the closure of IGBP in 2015, I joined Elevate Scientific – a small science-communication consultancy – as its managing editor. At Elevate, I supported and advised academics and academic institutions on developing impactful research articles and grant applications, as well as larger, more complex documents such as self-evaluation and strategy reports. I also delivered seminars and workshops on scientific writing, grant writing, and media and society.

I joined SLU’s Grants Office in November 2020 and am looking forward to engaging actively with the university’s research community.

Selected peer-reviewed articles:

Biermann, F. et al. (2015). Down to Earth: Contextualizing the Anthropocene. Global Environmental Change. doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2015.11.004

Ely, L. L. et al. (2012). Owyhee River intracanyon lava flows: Does the river give a dam? Geological Society of America Bulletin. doi: 10.1130/B30574.1

Seitzinger, S. P. et al. (2012). Planetary stewardship in an urbanizing world: beyond city limits. Ambio. doi: 10.1007/s13280-012-0353-7

Selected newspaper and magazine articles and blog posts:

Sanningen är inte demokratins räddning. Svenska Dagbladet. August 2020.

Exponential Action Must Overcome the Hurdle of Capitalism. Future Earth blog. October 2019

Nationalism in American Science Advocacy. The Philosophical Salon. July 2017

Uncovering the Anthropocene's social roots. Future Earth blog. May 2016

Time to move on from the information-deficit model. Elevate Scientific blog. October 2016

Whence climate scepticism? Global Change magazine. June 2010

Moderated panel discussion

What's the big deal about the Anthropocene? American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2015, Union Session.