Kateryna Pereverza

I am a researcher in the Urban Analytics and Transitions (UrbanT) research group. I'm exploring transformative portfolio-based approaches (TPAs) for urban transition governance. TPAs emerge as a more systemic, "beyond projectification", and long-term-oriented approach to be implemented in a multi-level and multi-actor context of urban transition governance. The approach is on its early stages and further research is required to understand its potential and enable its wider implementation.

Since 2023, I'm leading two research projects to explore TPAs from various perspectives:

• "Forging systemic coherence: Transformative portfolio approach for urban transition governance" (funded by Formas "Early-career researchers" grant in 2022)
• "Climate-neutral and inclusive communities - Skellefteå" (funded by Formas)

I started researching TPAs in 2019 within the Formas-funded project "Connect to Transform: Enabling transitions via quadruple helix co-creation". In this transdisciplinary study, I collaborated with the Swedish Strategic Innovation Programme "Viable Cities" to explore how transformative innovation policy can create conditions supportive for wider implementation of "beyond projectification" approaches in cities. Since 2020, I  collaborated with the Strategic Innovation Unit of UNDP to study their pioneering work with TPAs for system transformations in different contexts. I'm interested in the toolboxes of TPAs, the co-creation of theories of (transformative) change that logic of TPs, (re)framing of challenges in the course of TPAs, and actor roles and capacities needed to implement them in urban governance. I also explore how national and international intermediaries foster the piloting of TPAs by municipalities and their partners.

I have an interdisciplinary background with a PhD in Industrial Ecology (KTH Royal Institute of Technology – Sweden), a Master’s Degree in Social Informatics (IASA, National Technical University of Ukraine “KPI” – Ukraine) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Mathematics (IASA, National Technical University of Ukraine “KPI” – Ukraine).  I also gained extensive project management experience when I co-founded and successfully developed for 10 years a multidisciplinary international summer school AACIMP (during 2006-2015).

I defended my PhD thesis “Steering sustainability transitions? Modular participatory backcasting for strategic planning in the heating and cooling sector” in April 2019. My PhD study was based on two full-scale participatory backcasting projects implemented in the cities of Ukraine (Bila Tserkva) and Serbia (Niš) and aimed at fostering sustainability transitions of heating and cooling systems by 2050.

Since 2016, I am developing and teaching AL2115 "Transdisciplinary Approaches for System Innovations" course for interested students from across KTH and for students of KIC InnoEnergy master program "Energy for Smart Cities". The course integrates theories and methods from future studies, transition studies and design and is based on a transdisciplinary process in which students address complex transition challenges  in collaboration with societal partners of the course. The course intorduces a problem-solving process based on the thirteen modules of mPB described in this online manual. I also contribute to MJ2673 "Research Methodology and Theory of Science" course with a lecture about scenario planning. Being interested in innovative pedagogic approaches which could foster a transformative mindset and collaborative learning in both physical and digital spaces, since 2020 I'm co-editing a series of publications on Medium"Meaningful collaborations for system transformations".