Interdisciplinarity

At Northwestern University, a long history of interdisciplinary collaboration among its world-class faculty generates groundbreaking research

Global challenges demand collaboration across disciplines. This resource explores the associated advantages and challenges

Large-scale projects, such as creating a sustained presence on the Moon, are complex, interdisciplinary endeavours that test researchers to the limit. But with support from the research community – united by common purpose and values – lunar development efforts can take a giant leap towards establishing an outpost on the Moon

Getting multidisciplinary projects off the ground can be a heavy lift for even the most motivated scientists, but forward-thinking organisations like CIFAR are willing to lend a hand, convening international research groups and offering the much-needed support to develop their ideas

At the frontiers of computational research and medical hardware, interdisciplinary approaches offer hope to chronic migraine patients through ground-breaking physiological sensors and analytical tools that analyse the autonomic nervous system for clues about the debilitating condition

Our lives are governed by complex connected systems, and Schmidt Science Fellow Sahil Loomba has made it his life’s work to understand them. He is taking an interdisciplinary path, combining computation, statistics and machine-learning approaches to improve the world we live in

The field of soft robotics draws on insights from biology and the abilities of living organisms to advance robot design. It offers a case study of why supporting interdisciplinary research among early career scientists drives innovation and yields radical scientific discoveries

Interdisciplinary approaches allow researchers of different scholarly backgrounds to pool their expertise and enhance the impact of their discoveries. But for these projects to flourish, we need to rethink the research ecosystem to support scientists as they cross disciplinary lines

Overcome project-based learning challenges with strategies aimed at empowering students to develop interdisciplinary skill sets

The next generation of interdisciplinary scientists needs a research ecosystem that gives them the skills they need to work with scientists from other fields, as well as the funding and support to bring their research findings to society

It takes courage, ability and talent to transcend disciplinary boundaries. But it also takes support. At Schmidt Science Fellows, early career scientists are given the training and mentorship they need to develop their careers in interdisciplinary science and pursue projects that tackle society’s biggest problems

Society faces problems of growing complexity, and we need scientists collaborating across disciplines in search of better solutions and faster results

To train students to engage responsibly with artificial intelligence, a genuinely interdisciplinary perspective – from the language used to recognising that human and machine work in concert – is essential, write Elvin Lim and Jonathan Chase

A benchmark of success for interdisciplinary learning is graduates who have the flexibility to examine their areas of interest and develop attributes that deliver practical value to future employers

Hands-on knowledge discovery can give students the chance to put learning into action from the beginning of their studies, write Gray Kochhar-Lindgren and Julian Tanner

Launching an innovative inter-faculty way of working has brought great benefit to students, especially in the post-Covid period, say Gemma Ahearne and Matt Murphy

Loy Hui Chieh explains what true interdisciplinarity is and how to successfully embed it into university courses

Recent events have shown the necessity of working together, and it’s never too early for universities, faculty and students to begin thinking about this, says Georgina Harris

Who’s the barbarian? Which one’s the wizard? Lorena Quilantán García offers practical advice on embarking upon your very own interdisciplinary hero quest

John Domingue explains how to foster a culture of openness and support that encourages and helps staff teams to pursue interdisciplinary research projects

Three PhD students share tips for embracing an interdisciplinary approach to research from the start of one’s academic career to aid progress towards tackling the Sustainable Development Goals