Have you turned on your TV or read the newspapers in the past few years? Then you know we have a bunch of global crises to deal with, from ecological breakdown to food insecurity, pandemics and wars. Is our future so bleak that we should just stick our anxiety-filled heads in the sand? Or maybe colonise Mars? The answer is a definite no. These crises are not just challenges we need to overcome but also opportunities to transition to a more resilient, inclusive and fair society. But then how can we move ahead and reconcile the need to provide basic needs to a growing population, while avoiding ecological collapse you may ask? Enter my research world. 

I use systems thinking and system dynamics modelling to look into natural resource management from a sustainability perspective. It is clear for me (and an increasing number of scholars) that the exploitative, unequal and growth-oriented system we have now cannot deliver feasible solutions in a world governed by ecological limits. This is why I explore alternative development pathways that are based on resource efficiency, sufficiency, regeneration and meeting social needs. I am particularly passionate about controversial sustainability topics with a touch of deep uncertainty and power imbalances - some say I have a soft spot for drama. One such hot topic is deep-sea mining, the focus of my postdoc in the SEAS programme at the University of Bergen. I analyse the discourse surrounding deep-sea mining, power dynamics governing the sector at global and national level and some of the possible development pathways for Norway. I do that together with key stakeholders, in an inclusive, participatory manner, testing the merits of such an approach for broader science communication and knowledge co-creation strategies. 

See a complete overview of publications in Cristin.

• Klimašauskaitė, A., Drivdal, L. E., Larsen, H., & Nedelciu, C. E. (2024). Could deep-sea mining sustain sustainability? The international seabed authority and the UN 2030 agenda. Resources Policy, 98, 105332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2024.105332. 
• Oostdijk, M., Elsler, L. G., Van Deelen, J., Auping, W. L., Kwakkel, J., Schadeberg, A., Vastenhout, B.M.J, Nedelciu, C.E., Berzaghi, F., Prellezo, R. & Wisz, M. S. (2024). Modeling fisheries and carbon sequestration ecosystem services under deep uncertainty in the ocean twilight zone. Ambio, 53(11), 1632-1648. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-024-02044-1. 
• Diemer, A., Nedelciu, C.E. and Hinton, J. (2021). Social and Solidarity Economy or How Not-for Profit Organizations Participate to SDGs’ Implementation? W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Partnerships for the Goals, Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71067-9_82-1.
• Taffuri, A., Sciulllo, A., Diemer, A. and Nedelciu, C.E. (2021). Integrating circular bio-economy and urban dynamics to define an innovative management of bio-waste: The case study of Turin. Sustainability, 13(11), 6224. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116224.
• Nedelciu, C.E., Ragnarsdottir, K.V., Schlyter, P. and Stjernquist, I. (2020). Global phosphorus supply chain dynamics: assessing regional impact to 2050. Global Food Security 100426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100426.
• Diemer, A., Nedelciu, C.E., Schellens, M., Morales, M.M. and Oostdijk, M. (eds). 2021. Paradigms, Models, Scenarios and Practices for Strong Sustainability. Oeconomia, ISBN: 979-10-92495-13-3.
• Nedelciu, C.E. and Diemer, A.(2020). Sharing Economy: Opportunities and Challenges for a new economic model. In No Poverty, Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69625-6_73-1.
• Diemer, A. and Nedelciu, C.E. (2020). System dynamics for sustainable urban planning. In Sustainable Cities and Communities, Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, eds. Leal, W. et al., Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319- 71061-7_115-1.
• Nedelciu, C.E., Ragnarsdottir, K.V., Stjernquist, I. and Schellens, M. (2019). Opening access to the black box: the need for reporting on the global phosphorus supply chain. AMBIO. 49, 881-891. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-019-01240-8.
• Nedelciu, C.E., Ragnarsdottir, K.V. and Stjernquist, I. (2018). From waste to resource: A systems dynamics and stakeholder analysis of phosphorus recycling from municipal wastewater in Europe.AMBIO. 48, 741-751. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-018- 1097-9.
• Diemer, A., Nedelciu, E., Schellens, M. and Gisladottir, J. (2018). Challenges for sustainability in critical raw material assessment. In International Journal of Management and Sustainability, 7(3): 156-179. https://doi.org/10.18488/jour- nal.11.2018.73.156.179.
• Nedelciu, E., Gisladottir, J., Araji, F., Bakhanova, E. and Nguyen, N. (2017). Post-harvest food wastage: causes along the supply chain and solutions for a more sustainable food production system. In European Union and sustainable development: challenges and prospects, eds. Diemer, A., Dierickx, F., Gladkykh, G., Morales, M.E., Parrique, T. and Torres, J., pp 140-157. ISBN: 979-10-92495-04-1.

SEAS - Shaping European Research Leaders for Marine Sustainability: https://www.uib.no/en/seas