- E-mailjefferson.rajah@uib.no
- Visitor AddressFosswinckels gate 6Lauritz Meltzers hus5007 BergenRoom733
- Postal AddressPostboks 78025020 Bergen
Although I am now a system dynamics modeller by training, I started my academic journey in traditional and applied social research, where I worked with marginalized communities to advance diversity and inclusion and community development. Since making the transition to modelling, I have been passionate about bridging social research with system dynamics. What does this look like to me? Including people, their knowledge, experiences, and decision-rules in system dynamics models. Ergo, my research interests revolve around human behaviour and social system dynamics within larger ecological, technological, and health systems, as well as participatory modelling and stakeholder engagement.
Presently, I am a Research Fellow for the EU Horizon Project, WorldTrans: Transparent Assessments for Real People. This project seeks to address several weaknesses that have been identified in existing climate models for integrated assessments. For me, the most important of those weaknesses is the inadequate representation of human behaviour within the social system. As part of my PhD, I will be researching ways to include social and cultural factors that influence people's values and behaviour into integrated models. I will also be leading the participatory modelling components of the project, where I aim to meaningfully include stakeholders (experts and citizens alike) in the practice of integrated assessment modelling. With this research, I hope to refine a system dynamics and post-normal science methodology for bringing people into integrated assessment modelling and praxis. I believe this embodies what I have come to adopt as my personal tagline for my career: system dynamics in practice; social research at heart.
- (2024). Understanding Hydrologic, Human, and Climate System Feedback Loops: Results of a Participatory Modeling Workshop. Water.
- (2023). Modeling Public Transportation Attractiveness in System Dynamics: The Significance of Safety Perception.
- (2023). Harnessing Systems Thinking and Participatory Modeling for Water Systems Research & Solutions.
- (2023). Enabling Mobility: A Simulation Model of the Health Care System for Major Lower-Limb Amputees to Assess the Impact of Digital Prosthetics Services. Systems. 1-27.
- (2023). Bridging System Dynamics and Post-Normal Science Approaches for Integrated Assessment Praxis.
- (2023). Advancing cross-disciplinary research on transboundary groundwater systems through group model building.
- (2022). The Dynamics of Prosthetics Care Continuum for Persons with Amputation.
- (2022). Integrating diverse perspectives: meaning-making process in participatory system dynamics.
- (2022). Eroding Public Services: Modelling the Rise of the American Legislative Exchange Council in the United States Legislatures.
- (2022). Enabling Resilient Food Systems: Simulating the Impact on Local Farmers’ Livelihoods in Greater Adelaide, Australia.
- (2022). EDI in Singapore: emerging issues with sexual and gender minorities and people living with HIV. 20 pages.
- (2021). Where Has the Passion Gone? The Dynamics of Non-Profit Workers’ Passion Burnout and Intention to Leave.
- (2021). Model-Based Socioeconomic Planning of Tourism Development in Developing Countries.
More information in national current research information system (CRIStin)
WorldTrans: Transparent Assessments for Real People
Research Fellow (2023–Present)
Funded by EU’s Horizon Europe, WorldTrans seeks to build new communities of integrated assessment modelling experts and users (citizens and stakeholders alike); include heterogeneous human behaviour in integrated assessment models; identify main feedback loops and policy leverage points for climate-neutrality oriented policies; and produce quantitatively consistent results for various (IPCC and IPBES) assessment processes. I am involved in designing the participatory modelling process with multiple stakeholders (across serveral work packages) and developing an adaptable model on shifts in value systems and behaviour changes towards climate mitigation.
Transboundary Groundwater Resilience Network Participatory Modeling
Consultant (2022–2023)
I provided consulting and professional services to the Transboundary Groundwater Resilience (TGR) Network of Networks from the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute. I co-designed an introductory systems thinking and system dynamics modeling lecture, and conducted a two-day virtual systems mapping session at the TGRR annual workshop held on September 28-29, 2022. Workshop outputs include a causal loop diagram depicting the mental models of participants, identified research priorities, and results of the evaluation survey of the workshop, which were presented to TGR. Since then, we have used the workshop outputs as a case to advance use-inspired research in water resources through participatory modelling.
Enabling Mobility: Health and Prosthetics Care System for Major Lower Limb Amputees
Researcher/Modeller (2022–2023)
A collaborative system dynamics modelling project between University of Bergen, ProsFit Technologies JSC, and Toyota Mobility Foundation. The aim of the research is to computationally represent a country-level health and prosthetic care system for major lower limb amputees for the purpose of improving the access to and outcomes of prosthetics service provision. The model assesses the impact of emerging digital technology in prosthetics in relation to amputee mobility and the net socio-economic benefit accrued to society. This project was conducted as part of my Master Thesis under the supervision of Birigt Kopainsky (University of Bergen) and Paulo Gonçalves (University of Lugano).