From Policy Interface to Planetary Challenges: Emerging Trends in Science Diplomacy and Implications for Higher Education

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the evolution, thematic structure, and intellectual foundations of science diplomacy literature from 2000 to 2025. By integrating bibliometric analysis, topic modeling, and trend discovery, the research identified nine thematic clusters reflecting the conceptual richness and interdisciplinary nature of the field. The findings reveal a sharp increase in publication volume, high rates of international collaboration, and increasing emphasis on policy-relevant themes such as climate-informed knowledge production, sustainability governance, and biodiversity management. While topics such as international science diplomacy are declining, areas such as knowledge brokerage and climate adaptation are accelerating. The results highlight a paradigm shift toward science diplomacy as a strategic governance tool to address complex, cross-border challenges in the Anthropocene era. Moreover, this shift brings to the fore critical consequences for higher education, necessitating the internationalization of academic institutions and the design of curricula aimed at developing interdisciplinary competencies in future academics and policymakers. This study contributes to mapping the intellectual landscape of the field and provides valuable insights for future academic and policy-oriented engagement.