ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ

Do you need a double Bachelor’s degree in preparation for an interdisciplinary PhD? What jargon do you use when publishing across different fields as an interdisciplinary researcher? And how to do interdisciplinary research in an academic environment in which students are nudged towards specialization? These were only some of the questions that were discussed during the event on March 21^st on doing an interdisciplinary PhD organized by the Science Honours Academy and the PhD students from the Science for Sustainability Graduate Program.

The evening started with presentations by Ayla Dekker and Tim Kamsma, who are currently pursuing interdisciplinary PhDs. The audience, consisting mainly of Bachelor students, posed many relevant questions. Should terminology be tailored to fit specific journals when publishing across disciplines? And how do you determine the most suitable journal for broad-ranging research?

Some attendees voiced concerns about being pushed towards specialization and sought advice on fostering a more interdisciplinary academic atmosphere. Tim noted ongoing efforts by universities, such as the Pathways to Sustainability initiative, but acknowledged that this is still an ongoing process.

Freddy Rabouw shared his firsthand experiences of working in two departments (physics and chemistry). For him, bridging disciplines felt natural, as he perceives no distinct boundary between the two. He shed light on prevailing perceptions between physicists and chemists. To build bridges, he underscores the importance of talking to other disciplines and trying to mutually understand each other.

Additionally, Freddy showed some of his publications, which served as examples of successful interdisciplinary research. The publications illustrated that it depends on the university what research group is seen as physics and what is seen as chemistry. When asked whether having two Bachelor’s degrees is necessary to do interdisciplinary research, Freddy suggested that while pursuing a double bachelor is helpful, it is not necessary.

At the end of the event, participants formed groups to brainstorm interdisciplinary research questions based on diverse backgrounds. Plastic waste was a popular topic, but some groups also came up with their own topic, such as Alzheimer’s disease, highlighting the necessity of interdisciplinary approaches in addressing all kinds of complex issues. Trends in disciplinary roles were evident, with chemistry contributing to sample creation, physics to calculations, and computational science to simulations and data management. Beyond science, other disciplines were recognized as integral to tackling multifaceted problems.