As a psychology PhD student at the University of California, Davis, Natalie Troxel is exploring the health outcomes of adults who experienced poverty as adolescents. It's a complex topic. While she's approaching it from a psychological perspective, she's found herself delving into sociology and economics in order to understand all the factors that can affect health.
Fortunately, her advisor is affiliated with the university's interdisciplinary Center for Poverty Research, so collaborating with researchers in other fields has been "an organic process," says Troxel, an elected member-at-large of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS). "I'm lucky that I have a supportive advisor who encouraged me to do interdisciplinary work."
Once, graduate students who spent too much time in other departments drew quizzical looks and pointed questions from their advisors and peers, says Daniel Stokols, PhD, a psychologist at the University of California, Irvine, who explores the intersection of behavior, health and the environment. While working on his dissertation in the 1970s, Stokols says he sometimes felt "a bit deviant" for taking elective courses and minors outside of psychology. That's changing.
"Nowadays, interdisciplinary training is becoming much more highlighted — and heralded," he says.
Part of the reason is practical. "Thanks to an explosion of knowledge and information, it's impossible to draw the boundaries around psychology and say, 'I've mastered the field.' Any individual scholar is going to have blind spots," Stokols says. "People team up to help compensate for each other's blind spots."
Yet interdisciplinary science isn't just about filling knowledge gaps. Whether it's politics or the environment or human health, society's most pressing problems require complex solutions, says psychologist Bonnie J. Spring, PhD, who directs the Center for Behavior and Health at Northwestern University. "Many of the hard problems really can't be solved within a single discipline."
Major funding agencies seem to agree. Both the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health strongly encourage "team science" that pulls from a variety of fields, notes Howard Kurtzman, PhD, APA's acting executive director for science. "They're not looking to fund psychology or sociology or biology as much as they want to address certain topics and questions."
But is interdisciplinary research the right path for you? And if so, when and how should you get started? Here are some questions to ask yourself before you take the leap.
Is interdisciplinary science a good fit?
Just because interdisciplinary research is hot doesn't mean it's for everyone. Consider your research interests. Some questions naturally span diverse fields and would be best addressed by an interdisciplinary approach. But plenty of important research questions fit squarely within a discrete pocket of psychology. "Not all research problems require a broad interdisciplinary approach," says Stokols. "Some students want to drill down within a particular discipline and make their contributions that way — and if so, I encourage them to do that."
Is grad school the right time?
It depends on many factors, say experts, including your skills and interests, your advisor's enthusiasm for the idea and the culture at your institution. On one hand, you don't want to spread yourself too thin. "Graduate school is, by definition, an opportunity for someone to develop large amounts of knowledge and expertise within a certain field," cautions Garth Fowler, PhD, associate executive director at the APA's office of graduate and postgraduate education and training. "If you don't do it right, you might be seen as the jack of all trades but master of none."
On the other hand, it can be a good career move to demonstrate early on that you're a flexible thinker and a team player. "I'd argue that if opportunities come your way, then it is a good time — particularly if your mentor is also doing [interdisciplinary research]," says Nabil El-Ghoroury, PhD, associate executive director of APAGS. "You can get a feel for it, develop contacts in other fields, and set yourself up" for a career in team science.
Fowler suggests taking an honest look at your reasons for pursuing interdisciplinary research. "Ask yourself those important questions about what you're doing and why, and have those conversations openly with your committee," he says.
What are the logistics?
Before taking on a dissertation topic that spans disciplines, consider how it will work at your institution. Will you need office space in two buildings? Will you be appointed in two departments, with two co-advisors? If so, what are the degree requirements in each department? They may have different processes and even different paperwork, so pay attention to the details. Ask strategic questions about how your idea will play out on your campus.
Is it now or never?
If it doesn't feel like the right time to step out of psychology's silo, don't worry. You'll have other opportunities to broaden your exposure to other fields. For instance, you might consider a postdoctoral research position in another discipline or another type of psychology department, Kurtzman suggests.
Or you may just dip a toe in now without taking a plunge. "For a person starting out, it's great to get involved in a small way," says Spring. That may mean participating in an interdisciplinary project as a team member rather than a team leader.
I'm ready to get started. Now what?
Do a little legwork. Before you go knocking on doors all over campus, take classes in other departments. Read journals outside your discipline. "See what's been done in other fields to make sure you're not reinventing the wheel, and so that when you do approach someone, you have a grounding," suggests Troxel. "You're representing your field, and you want to be a high-quality representative."
How do I reach out?
If your advisor is involved in interdisciplinary work, that's the obvious place to ask for introductions. Still, says Stokols, "you may have to be a little assertive" in reaching out to potential collaborators.
For Troxel, that hasn't been as scary as it might sound. "I was a bit surprised. I didn't expect people to be so welcoming to someone from an outside field," she says. "Do some research, send an email to someone who might be a good contact for you. The worst that can happen is they say no."
What's the secret to good collaboration?
Communication is key, says Spring. Unsurprisingly, different disciplines have their own jargon. But they also have their own cultures, methodologies and even different conventions for publishing in academic journals. Don't be afraid to ask questions and say you don't understand. And don't expect everything to be settled in one or two meetings. "It takes dialogue over a long time," she says.
What pitfalls should I look out for?
As a graduate student, it's important to keep your eyes on the prize. While it's valuable to gain skills in team science, make sure you devote enough time to mastering your own discipline. Similarly, you'll have to balance your interdisciplinary efforts with opportunities to let yourself shine. Junior scholars still need to prove themselves, Stokols says, and that might be harder to do if you're one of a dozen authors on every paper you've published. He thinks of interdisciplinary research as a kind of "scholarship 2.0." And when it comes to gaining those skills, he says, "it's really a balancing act."
So, is it worth it?
"The direction that science is heading, teamwork is going to be more common and more valued. Having the capacity to work across teams — those assets are going to be needed to be effective in the future of scholarship," Stokols says.
Adds El-Ghoroury: "It's not simple, but there are some really big rewards."