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Synopsis Cross-disciplinary research enables us to tackle complex problems that require expertise from different fields. Such collaborations involve researchers who have different perspectives, communication styles, and knowledge bases, and can produce results far greater than the sum of their parts. However, in an era of increasing scientific specialization, there exist many barriers for students and early-career researchers (ECRs) interested in training and undertaking interdisciplinary research endeavors. This perspective examines the challenges that students and ECRs perceive and experience in cross-disciplinary work and proposes pathways to create more inclusive and welcoming research environments. This work emerges from a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded workshop held during the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) Annual Meeting in January 2023 in Austin, TX. The workshop brought together seasoned interdisciplinary scientists with undergraduate and graduate students to identify and discuss perceived challenges through small group discussions and experience sharing. Through summarizing a range of student concerns about embarking on careers as interdisciplinary scientists and identifying ways to dismantle institutional and lab management-level barriers, we aim to promote an inclusive and collaborative problem-solving environment for scientists of all experience levels.
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A social web to stimulate interdisciplinary collaborations
Synopsis Interdisciplinary collaborations are essential for addressing complex global challenges, yet forming and sustaining such teams is often hindered by institutional barriers, differences in discipline-specific languages, and cultural divides. Existing tools and platforms frequently fail to foster the deep, ongoing engagement necessary for successful interdisciplinary work. This paper proposes a novel web-based platform designed to stimulate and support interdisciplinary collaborations by integrating social media elements, such as user-friendly communication tools, algorithms for identifying and connecting individuals with complementary and unique skills, and smart suggestions for potential collaborators. The platform would facilitate building and maintaining the engagement of target users, and provide guardrails to engender community trust, with a goal to also tackle issues related to power dynamics, cultural differences, institutional structures, and varying levels of prestige or funding. By addressing these challenges, the proposed platform would enable and accelerate productive interdisciplinary research and collaborative ideation, and ultimately stimulate more innovative and effective solutions to complex scientific and societal problems.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2329655
- PAR ID:
- 10617525
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford University Press
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Integrative And Comparative Biology
- Volume:
- 65
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1540-7063
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 28-42
- Size(s):
- p. 28-42
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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