The Whys and Hows of Interdisciplinary Research: Collaboration between Social and Natural Scientists Joyce Tait, Director, ESRC Innogen Centre 1 Types of interdisciplinary research Discipline focused – Mode 1 – Often longer-term collaborations; helps disciplines to evolve, e.g. bioinformatics, ecological economics Problem focused – Mode 2 - Shorter term interdisciplinary collaborations directed to specific real world problems 2 Mode 1 Interdisciplinary Research Multidisciplinary communications challenge learning to do systems biology research Muffy Calder Department of Computing Science University of Glasgow Biochemical Pathway Simulator and Analyser 3 Interdisciplinary Research • Has … changed my life • Previously … – Concurrency and process algebra, automated reasoning, model checking and induction, feature interaction analysis • applications: telecommunications services, medical devices, protocols • Now … still concurrent systems, but in a new context – Dynamic behaviour of signalling pathways • stochastic process algebra population dynamics • differential equations • model checking stochastic temporal properties 4 Confidence curve full of ideas grant awarded application rock bottom 6 months time now Not to scale! 5 Mode 1 Examples Systems Biology – DTI Beacon Projects Synthetic Genomics Disciplines: Genomics, cell imaging, databases, machine learning, computer modelling, toxicology, computer engineering, computer programming, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, mathematics, Joining ‘dry and hard’ with ‘wet and sticky’ 6 From Mode 1 to Mode 2 interdisciplinary research Mode 1: Knowledge comes from depth and specialisation (or creation of new specialisms); creating knowledge from data Mode 2: Wisdom comes from breadth and integration 7 Funding Institutional Structures Research Culture Nature of The Subject Trend To Large International Projects Discouragement From Colleagues Real Life problems More likely to be accepted 'Added Value' Academic Success mic e d Aca cc Su ess Low Rating of Publications Discourage Interdisciplinarity Encourage Interdisciplinarity Institutional Structures Funding Difficult Projects To Run Management Factors Arduous Research Special Knowledge / Equipment Evaluation of Projects Availablilty of Good Quality Collaborator Difficult to Find Collaborators 8 Other Factors ESRC Survey of Interdisciplinarity • No evidence of ESRC inhibition of inter-disciplinarity, but also no active encouragement • Role of Programme Director and individual researchers in influencing degree of interdisciplinarity (note PACCIT) • Impact of user involvement was ambiguous – researchers often had a better understanding of user problems than users themselves • More time and effort is needed for networking and team-building in interdisciplinary projects, often leading to a perception of poorer value for money 9 Challenges for individual researchers •Difficult to develop a career based on continuous interdisciplinary research •Shifting peer group •Finding high status outlets for publications •Managing publication overload •Lack of institutional support 10 Skills needs for individual researchers •Understanding the languages, research methods and cultures of different disciplines •High tolerance of ambiguity – personality more important than discipline base •Willingness to learn from other disciplines •Good communicator •Open minded •Able to absorb information and its implications rapidly 11 Skills needs for research managers •interdisciplinary background •respect for all disciplines •good interpersonal and team building skills •proactive in engaging with other partners •not too ambitious in their own field •interested in a wide range of subjects 12 Environment for interdisciplinary academic research – a vicious circle Degree of participation by able researchers + Extent of incentives + Institutional Extent support of incentives structures Continuity of participation + + + Development of philosophical foundations + Ability to assess quality of outputs 13 Environment for interdisciplinary academic research – A virtuous circle? Availability of finance RAE Degree of participation by able researchers - + + Extent of incentives + Institutional support structures Continuity of participation + + + Development of philosophical foundations + Ability to assess quality of outputs 14 So how do you do interdisciplinary research? •Three examples: •DIID Foresight Infectious Diseases Project •Appropriate regulatory systems •Regulation Innovation interactions 15 Foresight Infectious Diseases: preparing for the future 16 The role of risk analysis in the detection and identification of infectious disease Drawing on the best available evidence: review and compare future risks from infectious diseases using a common set of metrics; identify the factors driving changes in risk; assess how the size and nature of risks are evolving and indicate the range of plausible future patterns of risk 17 Basic risk model Drivers Climate change, Socio-economic drivers Outcomes Pathways Sources Zoonoses Natural mutation Available niches Soil Airborne Food-borne Waterborne Vectors Direct contact Waste disposal Future diseases and levels of infection in: People Plants Animals Ecosystems 18 Drivers: six broad headings • • • • • • Legislation and systems of government Technology and innovation Conflict and law Economic factors Human activity and social pressures Climate change 19 Potential moderate and high risks influencing human disease risks, 2030, UK 4:6:1 Increased mean temp 4:1:4 Poor implementation of international legislation 4:1:5 Poor biosecurity legislation 4:1:1 Lack of disease control systems 4:6:2 Inc f requency of heavy rainf all 4:6 Driver - climate change 3:11 Increased disease spread due to sexual contact 3:2 Increased air-borne route 4:1 Legislation and systems of government Disease pathways 4:2 Driver technology and innovation 4:2:4 Lack of availability of new vaccines 4:2:6 Emergence of drug resistance 4:2:5 Increased ability to engineer diseases (bioterrorism) 4:2:8 Lack of new drugs 4:5:1 Dec willingness to change behaviour 4:4:2 Inc disparity rich-poor 4:4:3 Inc trade, transport, animals & crops 4:4:7 Inc no of disease susceptible individuals 4:3 Driver conf lict and war 4:3:2 Inc movement of people spreading disease 4:5:6 Inc change in sexual practices 3:9 Inc spread in hospitals 4:4 Driver economic f actors Disease outcomes 2:1 New pathogens f rom natural genetic change Disease sources 2:2 Geographic extension 2:6 Increased pathogen resistance (to microbicides) 4:5 Driver - human activity and social pressures 2:8 New diseases f rom other species reservoirs 2:3 New disease vectors 8,2,2 2:5 Accidental introductions of pathogens 4:5:5 Increased travel, tourism &business 20 Potential moderate and high risks influencing human disease risks, 2030, Africa 4:6:1 Increased mean temp 4:6:3 Inc drought 4:6:2 Inc frequency of heavy rainfall 3:11 Increased disease spread due to sexual contact 3:7 inc role of food-borne route 3:2 Increased air-borne route 4:1:4 Poor implementation of international legislation 4:2:7 Lack of food preservation and decontam technol 4:2:2 Lack of innovation in D&I tech, new diseases 4:2:4 Lack of availability of new vaccines 4:2:6 Emergence of drug resistance 4:1:7 Governemnt failure to report disease 4:2:1 Lack of innovation in D&I tech, existing diseases 4:4:5 Reduced quality of sanitation, water supply 4:4:6 Inc movement of migrant workers 4:1:6 Poor inter-institutional cooperation 4:2:5 Increased ability to engineer diseases (bioterrorism) 4:3:3 Damange to infrastructure 4:3:4 Increased bio-terrorism, existing diseases 4:4:1 Decreased econ prosperity 4:1:3 Poor implementation of national legislation 4:3:1 Loss of effective D&I sysems 4:3:2 Inc movement of people spreading disease 4:5:1 Dec willingness to change behaviour 4:4:2 Inc disparity rich-poor 4:4:3 Inc trade, transport, animals & crops 4:4:7 Inc no of disease susceptible individuals 4:1:2 Lack of D&M systems 3:3 Increased water-borne route 4:5:4 Malnutrition affecting resistance 4:5:6 Inc change in sexual practices 3:9 Inc spread in hospitals 3:4 Increased populations of vectors 3:6 Increased spread from waste disposal 3:5 Increased host to host transmission (density) 4:1 Legislation and systems of government Disease outcomes Disease pathways 4:2 Driver technology and innovation 4:2:3 Lack of innovation in ICT 4:2:8 Lack of new drugs 4:4:4 Dec education levels 4:1:5 Poor biosecurity legislation 4:1:1 Lack of disease control systems 4:6 Driver - climate change 3:8 Inc spread thru faecal contam 2:1 New pathogens from natural genetic change 4:3 Driver conflict and war 4:4 Driver economic factors Disease sources 2:2 Geographic extension 2:6 Increased pathogen resistance (to microbicides) 4:5 Driver - human activity and social pressures 2:8 New diseases from other species reservoirs 2:7 Decreased immunocompetence 2:4 Failure of resistance (vaccines) 2:5 Accidental introductions of pathogens 4:5:5 Increased travel, tourism &business 21 DISEASE PRIORITISATION ALGORITHM IDENTIFY sources of risk, especially changes in sources ASSESS sources: high/moderate/low risk? If one or more high risk sources, PROCEED CONSIDER if any of these high risk sources accentuate any related pathways of risk IDENTIFY drivers of risk, CONSIDER degree to which disease lends itself to DIM technology ASSESS drivers: high/moderate/low risk? If one or more high risk driver, PROCEED CONSIDER if any of these high risk drivers accentuate any related pathways of risk 22 Innogen framework for inter-disciplinary integration Policy makers and government Science and industry innovation communities Public and stakeholder groups 23 Policy innovation interactions Enabling vs constraining Discriminating vs indiscriminate regulation Path-breaking vs path dependent innovation; Path breaking vs path dependent regulation 24 What can social science and Mode 2 interdisciplinary research learn from Mode 1 in the natural sciences? 25