Jie Gao

I’m Jie, a transdisciplinary researcher at the intersection of emotions, Sustainability and Ethics Education, and Empirical Phenomenology.

I explore the 'why' and 'how' of cultivating emotional capabilities, specializing in the "inner dimensions" of sustainability: the affective, cognitive, relational capacities required to navigate systemic socio-ecological transformation. While technical policy is vital, my work focuses on the human infrastructure of resilience. I design playful collaborative workshop where difficulties complexity and uncertainty can be transformed into awareness, insight, and agency. 

Using Design-Based Research (DBR), I act as a knowledge broker and process facilitator, bridging the gap between the high-level complexity of climate crises and the grounded, warm reality of human experience. Ultimately, I design for a future where planetary and individual wellbeing are inextricably linked, accompanying individuals and organisations to meet the challenges of our times with clarity, compassion, and creative courage.