Industry & ResearchNews
Interdisciplinary research ‘neglected’
Despite having been around since the 1970s, interdisciplinary research in Australia is still a relatively neglected field, but one that could achieve much more, a new report has found.
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This really depends on how one defines interdisciplinary research. In my view there are many examples of interdisciplinary research, particularly in the social sciences where newer fields like cultural studies and tourism studies require people from a range of disciplines to work together to examine issues. These areas have seen strong growth in universities over the last decade. They don’t promote themselves under the banner of interdisciplinary research but in reality that is exactly what researchers in these areas are doing.
My experience working with industry stakeholders, government managers and researchers in various disciplines is that challenging applied problems almost always call for interdisciplinary approaches. What is hard is learning to communicate issues in the language of another discipline. And it is hard to find people good at it. Yes, there are probably many un-recognised examples in the social sciences, but I support the message of this report – that a focus on how to do interdisciplinary research well should produce good dividends.
Rob Day, Zoology