Problem-Based Interdisciplinary Research

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Problem-based research embraces interdisciplinarity to develop new ideas and solve pressing challenges in the world today. A key goal, obstacle or outcome is identified by a ‘stakeholder’ and a team is assembled to tackle this and deliver real change in a short space of time.

Such challenges are typified by their multifaceted and complex nature, so by bringing research teams together from disparate domains to focus on a common goal, expertise and experiences gained through discovery-driven research can be combined to rapidly generate a solution. Such an interdisciplinary approach fosters creativity and encourages out-of-the-box thinking, leading to innovative solutions that may not have been possible within the confines of a single discipline, and ‘impact’ far beyond the researcher’s normal sphere of influence.

Complimenting this approach, discovery driven research aims to develop new hypotheses based on open ended experiments and data gathering, observing the world around us to analyse patterns and trends, and lay the groundwork for future experimentation. This is often done by individuals or small teams, expert in their discipline, undertaking curiosity driven work to push the boundaries of knowledge.

However, this challenge-led approach is not without its own difficulties. Challenges may not be well defined or may evolve over the course of the project, requiring adaptability and having a high degree of ‘risk’. Speaking the same ‘language’ across different disciplines can be difficult, and requires each party to gain some understanding of the others, to make best use of the tools and knowledge available. In this setting a researcher who is keen to speak the ‘multiple languages’ and tackle problems in a flexible way whilst drawing on their own fundamental expertise will be able to bring teams together. By keeping an eye out for curious results or trends during the project they can make huge real-world impact in a short space of time, as well as drive discovery in their own and other disciplines.

The University of Glasgow strongly promotes an open and collaborative research ethos, which has led to formation of numerous interdisciplinary projects and initiatives across the seven Schools of the College of Science and Engineering; diverse examples include combining spectroscopy with AI to determine the age of malaria carrying mosquitos, and using statistical modelling methods developed for gravitational waves to analyse the Antikythera mechanism. This approach has led to international recognition of the long-lasting and wide-ranging impact of our world leading research.