What fosters the success of a transdisciplinary environmental research institute? Reflections from an interdisciplinary research cohort

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene(2021)

引用 2|浏览5
暂无评分
摘要
As society confronts a multitude of wicked problems without clear solutions, transdisciplinary research institutes have the opportunity to meet the increasingly important challenge to foster research capable of addressing such problems—that is, cross-disciplinary and societally relevant research. There is a growing body of literature on how to conduct effective interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and team-based research, but there is less work that evaluates (1) the lessons learned, pitfalls, and successes involved in creating and maintaining transdisciplinary institutes that support this research and (2) how early-career researchers are shaped by and shape such institutes. In this commentary, we share insights and critical questions germane for those involved in the formation of, or participation in (especially as early-career, non-tenure-track researchers), transdisciplinary institutes. From our perspective as part of a unique cohort of research fellows developed as part of a new transdisciplinary institute at Indiana University, we explore facilitators and barriers to our ability to support the institute’s mission. Topics addressed include tensions between research and implementation, rapidly achieving collaborative research, and community building, especially in the context of nurturing an institute with temporary employees as a key component. We reflect on what our experiences as part of such an institute mean for our career pathways, especially in the context of current academic structures and incentives. Our insights are in the context of an environmental-focused institute, but the issues raised are likely relevant to transdisciplinary institutes formed around a wide range of other themes or topics, especially those seeking to learn from the experiences of the first few years of an institute.
更多
查看译文
AI 理解论文
溯源树
样例
生成溯源树,研究论文发展脉络
Chat Paper
正在生成论文摘要