Personal profile
Research areas
Navigational Epistemics: Judgement, Uncertainty, and Competent Action
This research area forms the core of my work and investigates how epistemic judgement, justification, and responsibility emerge in practice, especially in situations where uncertainty cannot be eliminated and method‑first reasoning is insufficient. The remaining research areas represent different empirical, technological, and institutional domains in which this framework is developed and applied.
Research areas
Distributed Judgement and Value Formation in Collaborative Practices
Studying how interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams navigate uncertainty, negotiate epistemic authority, and arrive at defensible action and value formation in complex, real‑world problem contexts.
Epistemology of Practice, Reflexivity, and Sociotechnical Knowledge
Examining epistemic practices, justificatory frameworks, and reflexive mechanisms that enable reliable, trustworthy, and responsible knowledge formation in applied and sociotechnical settings, including model‑ and AI‑mediated environments.
Universities as Epistemic Institutions in Democratic Societies
Analysing the university’s societal role as an epistemic institution, with particular attention to judgement formation, expertise, public legitimacy, and democratic responsibility under conditions of uncertainty and contested knowledge.
Education/Academic qualification
Philosophy, Master of Arts, Our University: The fifth power of state, University of Southern Denmark
Award Date: 28. Feb 2018
Finance, Graduate Diploma in Business Administration, Academic Spin-Off Ventures, Copenhagen Business School
Award Date: 12. Dec 2005
Ph.D., All-Optical Signal Processing in Quadratic Nonlinear Materials, Technical University of Denmark
Award Date: 11. Nov 2002
Technical Physics, Master of Science in Engineering, Beam Propagation and Self-Focusing in χ(2) Materials, Technical University of Denmark
Award Date: 13. Sept 1999
Italian, Certificate in Business Language, Copenhagen Business School
Award Date: 11. Jun 1998
Current external positions
Freelance consultant
1. Jan 2007 → 30. Nov 2012
Postdoc, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology
21. Jun 2005 → 31. Dec 2006
Consultant, Teknologisk Institut
1. Apr 2004 → 31. Dec 2004
Postdoc, Le Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée (LPMC), Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis / CNRS.
1. Sept 2002 → 31. Aug 2003
Ph.D., Technical University of Denmark
1. Sept 1999 → 31. Aug 2002
Keywords
- The Concept of Knowledge
- In my work, the concept of knowledge is approached from the perspective of action and practice rather than as an abstract epistemological problem. I am particularly concerned with when available knowledge and methods are sufficient to justify action, and when judgement and responsibility must take over because knowledge is underdetermined. The focus is therefore on knowledge as something that enables—or fails to enable—competent action in concrete educational and professional contexts.
- Interdisciplinary
- In my research, interdisciplinarity refers to work in problem situations where no single disciplinary framework is sufficient to justify action. I am particularly interested in settings that are effectively transdisciplinary, where disciplinary knowledge serves as a resource rather than as an authoritative starting point, and where judgement, negotiation, and responsibility play a central role in coordinating diverse forms of expertise.
- Higher Education
- In my research, interdisciplinarity refers to work in problem situations where no single disciplinary framework is sufficient to justify action. I am particularly interested in settings that are effectively transdisciplinary, where disciplinary knowledge serves as a resource rather than as an authoritative starting point, and where judgement, negotiation, and responsibility play a central role in coordinating diverse forms of expertise.
- Moral Justification
- In my research, moral justification concerns how actions are rendered defensible in situations where certainty cannot be achieved and where methods or rules alone do not determine what ought to be done. The focus is on responsibility, legitimacy, and justification in practice, rather than on the comparison of normative moral theories or abstract ethical principles.
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Research output
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Navigational Epistemics: Epistemology of Competent Action
Kjær Johansen, S., 2. Apr 2026, In: Zenodo.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research
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Perspective Chapter: An Interdisciplinary Blended Global Classroom Aimed at Finding Sustainable Solutions
Tromp, C. & Kjær Johansen, S., 31. Mar 2026, Educational and Curriculum Quality - Innovations and Research [Working Title]. Ortiz, A. C. (ed.). InTechOpenResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Developing 21st Century Skills for a Sustainable Future through Interdisciplinary Education
Beate Pettersen, I., Johannessen, A., Sortland, B., Løje, H., Håkansson, L., Östman, M., Brenna, S. J., Kjær Johansen, S., Haahr, U., Schnaas, U. & Keiding, V., 15. Feb 2023.Research output: Contribution to conference without publisher/journal › Paper › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Diversity and team performance
Kjær Johansen, S. & Hurford, D., 16. Jun 2022.Research output: Contribution to conference without publisher/journal › Conference abstract for conference › Research › peer-review
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En hackathon går online
Nørgaard, C., Senderovitz, M., Kleine, K., Yu, F., Kjærgaard, T. B., Toftild, L. F., Kjær Johansen, S. & Nielsen, S. L., 2021, p. 1.Research output: Contribution to conference without publisher/journal › Conference abstract for conference › Communication
Activities
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PhD defence - Sarmin Sultana (Event)
Kjær Johansen, S. (Chairman)
25. Aug 2025Activity: Membership › Membership of review committee
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PhD defence - Kristine Wilhelm Lund (Event)
Kjær Johansen, S. (Chairman)
22. Aug 2024Activity: Membership › Membership of review committee
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PhD defence - Jeppe Foshammer (Event)
Kjær Johansen, S. (Chairman)
10. Aug 2023Activity: Membership › Membership of review committee
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Developing 21st Century Skills for a Sustainable Future through Interdisciplinary Education
Kjær Johansen, S. (Panel member)
27. Apr 2023Activity: Talks and presentations › Conference presentations
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PhD defence - Azim Mohammad (Event)
Kjær Johansen, S. (Chairman)
12. Sept 2022Activity: Membership › Membership of review committee
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Students as change agents in grand societal challenges
Kjær Johansen, S. (Head coordinator)
01/08/2024 → 31/07/2026
Project: Other Government Institutions
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Group Divserity and Innovative Performance
Kjær Johansen, S. (Project participant) & Hurford, D. (Project participant)
27/01/2022 → 31/12/2024
Project: Research
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Tværfaglige samarbejdskompetencer til værdiskabelse og bæredygtighed
Kjær Johansen, S. (Project participant), Løje, H. (Head coordinator), Sortland, B. (Project participant), Axelsson, S. (Project participant), Haahr, U. (Project participant), Brenna, S. J. (Project participant), Johannessen, A. (Project participant) & Beate Pettersen, I. (Project participant)
01/05/2020 → 31/08/2023
Project: Other Government Institutions
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Tværuniversitært kursusforløb i innovations- og entreprenørskabsundervisning for undervisere og studieansvarlige
Kjær Johansen, S. (Project participant), Nørgård, C. (Project manager) & Hyldegård, J. S. (Project participant)
01/01/2020 → 31/12/2021
Project: Other Government Institutions
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Underviser-Hackathon: Ny motor for udvikling af Innovations- og Entreprenørskabsundervisning på SDU
Kjær Johansen, S. (Project participant) & Nørgård, C. (Project manager)
01/01/2020 → 30/06/2021
Project: Other Government Institutions
Press/Media
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DR P4 Syd & Esbjerg Nyheder - Weekend 11.04.2026
11/04/2026
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Nordjysk astronaut-aspirant: - Gå efter drømmen
21/02/2021
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Klimaforsker opfordrer til lokal debat: - Kommunerne skal deltage i den grønne omstilling
14/02/2020
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Handy Transportvogne indgår innovationssamarbejde med Syddansk Universitet
16/01/2018
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Press / Media