Planetary health that shapes the future: the experience of the Doctoral Programme in Planetary Health at ULisboa

Launched in 2025, the Doctoral Programme in Planetary Health at the University of Lisbon was designed to train researchers capable of responding to the most pressing challenges of our time, integrating areas such as health, environment, technology, society and public policy.

With an interdisciplinary model involving all 19 Schools of the University, the programme stands out by allowing students, during the first semester, to explore different areas and progressively define their academic and scientific path.
Throughout the programme, doctoral candidates have access to state-of-the-art research units and infrastructures, benefiting from an international, collaborative and innovation-driven academic environment.

It is within this context that Chantal Riggs, currently in her first year, is developing her research work, reflecting on the impact of this experience on her academic and professional path.
 
What motivated you to apply for the Planetary Health PhD?

I applied to the PhD program to study in a truly transdisciplinary program - where the students come from a variety of backgrounds, fields, countries, and experiences. After working in planetary health for the past two years, I’ve seen a huge growth in knowledge and engagement across the field, and I was excited by the opportunity to be a part of its development. This program felt like the perfect opportunity to apply my experiences in the field and learn more about ongoing planetary health research.

How would you describe your experience in the programme so far?

It has been an amazing experience getting to know such a diverse cohort of students. No two students come from the same background, which greatly enriched class discussions and coursework. Having this variety of perspectives to tap into has been very helpful in developing and strengthening my own research proposal.

How important is the opportunity to explore different areas before choosing your research project?

Planetary health is all about bridging the disconnect between different areas of our lives - bringing together the health of the environment, human systems, and all living beings. Taking the opportunity to explore different areas before choosing our own research topics is integral in truly researching planetary health, as it helps us create and hone a more holistic research path.

What will be your research project about, and what impact do you hope to achieve?

My research will focus on how planetary health is translated across diverse policy and governance contexts. Specifically, the gap between concept and terminology. Many regions already hold deep epistemic understanding of the relationship between human and planetary wellbeing, rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems and local governance traditions that predate the formal field of planetary health.

I want to explore how these existing knowledge systems can be integrated into policy, rather than displaced by externally-imposed vocabulary. The impact I hope to achieve is a more equitable approach to planetary health governance: one that centers epistemic justice and recognizes what communities already know, rather than requiring them to adopt a new framework from scratch.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

After working in planetary health for the past two years, I’ve seen a huge growth in knowledge and engagement across the field, and I was excited by the opportunity to be a part of its development.

Chantal Riggs

What is it like to work in such an interdisciplinary environment?

Working in such an interdisciplinary environment is a new experience for me. I think it has been extremely beneficial to learn from my fellow classmates and their experiences as we navigate this program and field together. Planetary health is, at its core, a holistic understanding of the health of our ecosystems (including the environment, humans, and all living beings), which requires having as many perspectives in the room as possible.

What advice would you give to someone considering applying?

My advice to someone considering applying for the program is to come into it with a solid idea of what you would like to research. You don’t need to have a full proposal - I would encourage you to be open to making significant adjustments if you do - but having a research topic in mind is very helpful to practically apply the concepts we learned throughout the first semester. 
With that, embrace the uncertainty! The program is designed to push your thinking in unexpected directions, and that’s what makes it so worthwhile. You’ll leave with far more than you came in with.

Inspired by the perspective of those already on this journey? Applications for the second cohort of the Doctoral Programme in Planetary Health at the University of Lisbon are open until 24 April 2026. An opportunity to join an innovative and interdisciplinary programme focused on building solutions to global challenges.

Find out more and apply!