Lauren Withycombe Keeler
Assistant Research Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, College of Global Futures
School for the Future of Innovation in Society
Arizona State University
PO Box 875603
Tempe, AZ 85287-5603
Titles
- Senior Global Futures Scientist, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory
- Assistant Research Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, College of Global Futures
Biography
Lauren Withycombe Keeler is an assistant professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University. She has a doctorate and master's in sustainability science. Her master's research focused on defining the knowledge and skills necessary for undergraduate and graduate sustainability education. She has consulted with universities in the U.S., Europe and Mexico, helping them develop sustainability degree programs. Her doctoral studies focused on the use of foresight methods to explore complex governance challenges in sustainability, including climate governance, water governance, the governance of emerging technologies, and urban planning for sustainability.
In her research, Keeler studies how different people with different professional responsibilities understand and make sense of the future and how futures are created through professional practice. She creates and utilizes foresight methods to anticipate the future impacts of emerging technologies, policies and other interventions on organizations, communities and cities. Her work focuses on building capacity among individuals and groups to think about the future in ways that yield more inclusive and sustainable futures and develop strategies to make those futures a reality. As a part of this work, she creates games that help players create and contend with alternative futures and address urgent sustainability problems. She has worked in the U.S. and Germany on issues of sustainability and responsible innovation and the role of universities and international university partnerships in facilitating local sustainability transitions.
Education
- PhD, Sustainability, Arizona State University, 2014
- MA, Sustainability, Arizona State University, 2010
- BA (cum laude), Spanish, Arizona State University, 2007
Expertise
Journal Articles
2023
Forrest, N., A. Wiek and L. Withycombe Keeler. 2023. Accelerating the transformation to a sustainable food economy by strengthening the sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem. Frontiersin Sustainable Food Systems 6. DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.970265. (link )
2019
Withycombe Keeler, L., F. Beaudoin, A. Wiek, B. John, A. M. Lerner, R. Beecroft, K. Tamm, A. Seebacher, D. J. Lang, B. Kay and N. Forrest. 2019. Building actor-centric transformative capacity through city-university partnerships. Ambio 48:529-538. DOI: 10.1007/s13280-018-1117-9. (link )
2018
Withycombe Keeler, L., F. D. Beaudoin, A. M. Lerner, B. John, R. Beecroft, K. Tamm, A. Wiek and D. J. Lang. 2018. Transferring sustainabiliy solutions across contexts through city-university partnerships. Sustainability 10(9):2966. DOI: 10.3390/su10092966. (link )
2017
Caniglia, G., C. Luederitz, M. Groß, M. Muhr, B. John, L. Withycombe Keeler, H. von Wehrden, M. Laubichler, A. Wiek and D. Lang. 2017. Transnational collaboration for sustainability in higher education: Lessons from a systematic review. Journal of Cleaner Production 168(Dec):764-779. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.07.256. (link )
Withycombe Keeler, L., A. Gabriele, B. P. Kay and A. Wiek. 2017. Future shocks and city resilience: Building organizational capacity for resilience and sustainability through game play and ways of thinking. Sustainability: The Journal of Record 10(5):282-292. DOI: 10.1089/sus.2017.0011. (link )
2016
Withycombe Keeler, L., A. Wiek, D. J. Lang, M. Yokohari, J. van Breda, L. Olsson, B. Ness, J. Morato, J. Segalas, P. Martens, L. A. Bojorquez-Tapia and J. Evans. 2016. Utilizing international networks for accelerating research and learning in transformational sustainability science. Sustainability Science 11(5):749-762. DOI: 10.1007/s11625-016-0364-6. (link )
2015
John, B., L. Withycombe Keeler, A. Wiek and D. J. Lang. 2015. How much sustainability substance is in urban visions? An analysis of visioning projects in urban planning. Cities 48(Nov):86-98. DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2015.06.001. (link )
White, D. D., L. Withycombe Keeler, A. Wiek and K. L. Larson. 2015. Envisioning the future of water governance: A survey of central Arizona water decision makers. Environmental Practice 17(1):25-35. DOI: 10.1017/S1466046614000489 . (link )
Withycombe Keeler, L. 2015. What options does Phoenix, Arizona, USA have for averting a California-like water crisis?. Global Water Forum (Sep 7, 2015):. (link )
Withycombe Keeler, L. and R. W. Foley. 2015. The Monster and the polar bears: Constructing the future knowledge landscape of synthetic biology to inform responsible innovation. Journal of Responsible Innovation 2(1):81-84. DOI: 10.1080/23299460.2014.1003025. (link )
Withycombe Keeler, L., A. Wiek, D. D. White and D. A. Sampson. 2015. Linking stakeholder survey, scenario analysis, and simulation modeling to explore the long-term impacts of regional water governance regimes. Environmental Science and Policy 48:237-249. (link )
2013
Larson, K. L., A. Wiek and L. Withycombe Keeler. 2013. A comprehensive sustainability appraisal of water governance activities and principles in Phoenix, AZ. Journal of Environmental Management 116:58-71. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.11.016. (link )
Wiek, A., L. Withycombe Keeler, V. Schweizer and D. J. Lang. 2013. Plausibility indications in future scenarios. International Journal of Foresight and Innovation Policy 9(2/3/4):133-147. (link )
2011
Wiek, A., L. Withycombe and C. L. Redman. 2011. Key competencies in sustainability — A reference framework for academic program development. Sustainability Science 6(2):203-218. DOI: 10.1007/s11625-011-0132-6. (link )
Wiek, A., L. Withycombe, C. L. Redman and S. Banas Mills. 2011. Moving forward on competencies in sustainability and problem solving. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development 53(2):3-13. (link )
Book Chapters
2019
Withycombe Keeler, L., M. J. Bernstein and C. Selin. 2019. Intervening through futures for sustainable presents: Scenarios, sustainability, and responsible research and innovation. Pp. 255-282 In: Losch, A., A. Grunwald, M. Meister and I. Schulz-Schaeffer eds., Socio-Technical Futures Shaping the Present: Empirical Examples and Analytical Challenges in Social Studies of Science and Technology and Technology Assessment. Springer. ISBN: 978-3-658-27155-8.
2017
Wiek, A., C. Kuzdas, R. W. Foley, L. Withycombe Keeler, N. Forrest and B. Kay. 2017. Sustainability assessments designed for multiple functions: Five cases about water resources, nanotechnologies and communities. Pp. 127-145 In: Gibson, R. ed., Sustainability Assessment: Applications and Opportunities. Routledge. ISBN: 978-1138802742.
2016
Wiek, A., M. J. Bernstein, R. W. Foley, M. C. Cohen, N. Forrest, C. Kuzdas, B. Kay and L. Withycombe Keeler. 2016. Operationalizing competencies in higher education for sustainable development. Pp. 241-260 In: Barth, M., G. Michelsen, M. Rieckmann and I. Thomas eds., Routledge Handbook of Higher Education for Sustainable Development. Routledge. London and New York. ISBN: 9780415727303.
Posters
2014
Withycombe Keeler, L., A. Wiek, D. White, R. Quay and D. Sampson. 2014. Linking stakeholder survey, scenario construction, and simulation modeling to explore long-term impacts of regional water governance regimes. Poster presented at the Decision Center for a Desert City Annual Poster Symposium, April 28, 2014, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
2013
Bausch, J. C., J. Rice, J. Rosales Chavez, L. Withycombe Keeler, R. Krishnamurthy, R. Neel, J. Cázares-Rodriguez, V. K. Turner and M. Vijayakumar. 2013. Using structured discussions to explore cross-cutting themes in research at the Decision Center for a Desert City. Poster presented on May 1, 2013 at the Decision Center for a Desert City Annual Poster Symposium, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
Quinn, J., D. D. White, L. Withycombe Keeler, A. Wiek and K. L. Larson. 2013. The future of water in the desert: Convergence and divergence between decision makers and students. Poster presented February 17, 2013 at the Decision Making Under Uncertainty (DMUU) Session of the AAAS Annual Meeting, February 14-18, 2013, Boston, MA.
Quinn, J., D. D. White, L. Withycombe Keeler, A. Wiek and K. L. Larson. 2013. The future of water in the desert: Convergence and divergence between decision makers and students. Poster presented on May 1, 2013 at the Decision Center for a Desert City Annual Poster Symposium, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
Withycombe Keeler, L., A. Wiek, D. D. White, R. Quay and J. Quinn. 2013. Quenching our thirst: Future scenarios of water in Phoenix. Poster presented February 17, 2013 at the Decision Making Under Uncertainty (DMUU) Session of the AAAS Annual Meeting, February 14-18, 2013, Boston, MA.
Withycombe Keeler, L., A. Wiek, D. D. White, R. Quay, D. A. Sampson and J. Quinn. 2013. Quenching our thirst: Future scenarios of water in Phoenix. Poster presented on May 1, 2013 at the Decision Center for a Desert City Annual Poster Symposium, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
Withycombe Keeler, L., A. Wiek, D. D. White, R. Quay, D. A. Sampson and J. Quinn. 2013. Quenching our thirst: Future scenarios of water in Phoenix. Poster presented at the Adapting to a Water-Stressed West, American Association for the Advancement of Science Southwestern and Rocky Mountain Division (AAAS-SWARM) Water Forum, November 4, 2013, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
2012
Foley, R. W., C. Kuzdas, B. P. Warner, L. Withycombe Keeler, D. M. Iwaniec and A. Wiek. 2012. Designing sustainable governance: Cross-domain comparison and evaluation. Poster presented at the 19-22 February 2012 3rd Annual International Conference on Sustainability Science, Tempe, AZ.
Withycombe Keeler, L., A. Wiek, D. D. White, K. L. Larson and K. Jung. 2012. Envisioning water futures in the greater Phoenix area: What do we want the future to look like?. Poster presented on April 25, 2012 at the Decision Center for a Desert City Annual Poster Symposium, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
Withycombe Keeler, L., A. Wiek, D. D. White, R. Quay, G. Basile, K. L. Larson and K. Jung. 2012. Value based scenarios: The future of water governance and use in Central Arizona-Phoenix. Poster presented February 19, 2012 at the AAAS Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC, Canada, February 16-20, 2012.
2011
Shaffer, D., A. Wiek, K. L. Larson and L. Withycombe. 2011. Native American versus Non-Native American perspectives on water system sustainability. Poster presented on May 4, 2011 at the Community of Undergraduate/Graduate Research Scholars (COURS) Poster Session, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. (link )
Withycombe, L., D. Shaffer, A. Wiek and K. L. Larson. 2011. Toward developing a sustainability vision for the water system in Central Arizona-Phoenix. Poster presented February 20, 2011 at the Decision Making Under Uncertainty (DMUU) Session of the AAAS Annual Meeting, Washington, DC. (link )
Withycombe, L., A. Wiek, K. L. Larson and D. Shaffer. 2011. The water system in Central Arizona-Phoenix: Current state, future scenarios and sustainability vision. Poster presented on May 4, 2011 at the Community of Undergraduate/Graduate Research Scholars (COURS) Poster Session, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. (link )
2010
Wiek, A., R. W. Kutter, T. A. Munoz-Erickson, E. Miller, N. R. Moore, C. Thomas, L. Withycombe, C. Monfreda, C. P. Wong and D. M. Iwaniec. 2010. A comparative evaluation of participatory scenario studies. Poster presented at the February 12-18 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, San Diego, CA. Sustainability Science: Transformative Research Beyond Scenario Studies.
Presentations
2017
Withycombe Keeler, L. and M. J. Bernstein. 2017. Building capacity for sustainability and resilience planning in a desert city. Presentation at the National Adaptation Forum, presentation at the Tools Café, May 9-11, 2017, Saint Paul, MN.
2016
Foley, R. W., M. J. Bernstein, L. Withycombe Keeler and J. Harlow. 2016. Urban planning and techno-science: Exploring knowledge asymmetries and future imaginaries––The case of self-driving cars.. Presentation at the 4S/EASST Conference BCN-2016, Aug 31-Sep 3, 2016, Barcelona, Spain. (link )
2015
Harlow, J. and L. Withycombe Keeler. 2015. Anticipatory governance of autnomous vehicles. Presentation at the S.NetConference2015: From Nanotechnologies to Emerging Technologies: Towards a Global Responsibility, October 18-21, 2015, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (link )
2014
White, D. D., L. Withycombe Keeler, A. Wiek, K. L. Larson, D. A. Sampson and R. Quay. 2014. Linking stakeholder engagement, scenario analysis, and simulation modeling to explore the long-term impacts of regional water governance regimes. Presentation at the Environmental Science Division of Argonne National Laboratory, May 19, 2014, Lemont, IL.
2013
White, D. D., L. Withycombe Keeler, A. Wiek and K. L. Larson. 2013. Envisioning the future of water governance in central Arizona: A survey of water decision makers. Presented June 6, 2013 at the 19th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management (ISSRM), June 4-8, 2013, Estes Park Center, Colorado.
Wiek, A., L. Withycombe Keeler and D. D. White. 2013. The role of research in developing and implementing transformational solutions for water sustainability. Presentation at the Workshop: Transformational Solutions for Water in the West, September 5, 2013, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
2012
Sheppard, S., J. Robinson, M. Hulme, R. H. Moss, A. Wiek and L. Withycombe Keeler. 2012. Beyond climate models: Rethinking how to envision the future with climate change. Special Session, February 17, 2012, at the AAAS Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC, Canada, February 16-20, 2012.
White, D. D., A. Wiek, L. Withycombe Keeler, K. L. Larson, R. Quay and G. Basile. 2012. Selecting and assessing distinct scenarios for sustainable water governance strategies in Phoenix, Arizona USA. Presented June 18, 2012 at the 18th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management (ISSRM), June 17-22, 2012, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Withycombe Keeler, L., A. Wiek, C. Selin, D. Lang and V. Schweizer. 2012. How to evaluate and construct plausibility in future scenarios?. A case study of value-based future scenarios of water in Phoenix, Arizona. Invited Presentation at the International Workshop on Ethics, Plausibility and Innovation, May 10-11, 2012, European Union Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy.
2011
White, D. D. and L. Withycombe Keeler. 2011. WaterSim: Research on water sustainability and urban climate adaptation at the Decision Center for a Desert City. Expo Presentation at a showcase of NSF-funded natural hazards research, “Which hazards are in your backyard?” Congressional Hazards Caucus, Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C., September 7, 2011.
Wiek, A., L. Withycombe Keeler and B. Kay. 2011. Operationalizing urban sustainability transitions with transformative governance: Results from participatory sustainability transition planning. Presented June 14, 2011 at The Second International Conference on Sustainability Transitions, June 13-15, 2011, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Wiek, A., L. Withycombe Keeler and B. Kay. 2011. Sustainability transition research in a city of the "American Way of Life". Presentation at the 2nd International Conference on Sustainability Transitions (IST2011), June 14, 2011, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Withycombe, L. and C. L. Mercer. 2011. A framework for building key determinants of adaptive capacity through anticipatory learning and anticipatory governance. Presented March 14, 2011 at Resilience 2011—Resilience, Innovation, and Sustainability: Navigating the Complexities of Global Change, Second International Science and Policy Conference, Tempe, AZ.
2010
Wiek, A. and L. Withycombe. 2010. Core competencies in sustainability – a literature review. Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), February 20, 2010, San Diego, California.
Wiek, A., L. Withycombe and R. W. Kutter. 2010. Participatory approaches for constructing and using the new generation of climate change scenarios — A methodological review. Paper prepared for the Scenario Workshop of the National Climate Assessment, December 6-8, 2010, Washington, DC.
Reports
2017
Wiek, A., N. Forrest, T. Allers, A. Falkenstein, T. Freude, R. Gerigk, A. LeBarron, M. Lilje, A. Lopez-Morales, D. Morrison, L. Reutter, Z. Stein, J. Tattersall, H. Trigg and L. Withycombe Keeler. 2017. Building implementation capacity for a sustainable local food economy through a mobile solution studio. Sustainable Food Economy Lab, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
2010
Wiek, A., L. Withycombe and R. W. Kutter. 2010. Participatory approaches for constructing and using the new generation of climate change scenarios — A methodological review. White paper prepared for the Scenario Workshop of the National Climate Assessment, Washington, DC, December 6-8, 2010.
Thesis (PhD)
2014
Withycombe Keeler, L. 2014. Quenching our thirst for future knowledge: Participatory scenario construction and sustainable water governance in a desert city. Ph.D. dissertation. Arizona State University.