National Academies Press: OpenBook

Understanding the Rules of Life Program: Scientific Advancements and Future Opportunities (2023)

Chapter: Strategies for Successful Multidisciplinary Research

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Suggested Citation:"Strategies for Successful Multidisciplinary Research." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Understanding the Rules of Life Program: Scientific Advancements and Future Opportunities. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/27021.
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Strategies for Successful Multidisciplinary Research

A key objective of NSF’s URoL program was to drive innovation and identification of rules through multidisciplinary research. Indeed, many researchers included in the National Academies’ workshops cited the diverse, field-specific perspectives afforded by multidisciplinary research as a major advantage of this project (see figure below).

Working in teams of scientists from different disciplines has and continues to present challenges. Participants highlighted several strategies for reducing barriers to multidisciplinary research and encouraging greater participation among scientists at all levels and in all fields included in the research. One strategy is the co-development of products such as figures, papers, training materials, and presentations by multidisciplinary teams. Another strategy is to enhance team science by more clearly defining team structures and roles. Of course, communication is key to working across disciplines.

Suggested Citation:"Strategies for Successful Multidisciplinary Research." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Understanding the Rules of Life Program: Scientific Advancements and Future Opportunities. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/27021.
×
Suggested Citation:"Strategies for Successful Multidisciplinary Research." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Understanding the Rules of Life Program: Scientific Advancements and Future Opportunities. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/27021.
×

Diversity of Scientific Disciplines Contributing to the URoL Program

Many researchers included in the National Academies’ workshops cited the diverse, field-specific perspectives afforded by multidisciplinary research as a major advantage of the URoL program.

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Suggested Citation:"Strategies for Successful Multidisciplinary Research." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Understanding the Rules of Life Program: Scientific Advancements and Future Opportunities. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/27021.
×
Page 19
Suggested Citation:"Strategies for Successful Multidisciplinary Research." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Understanding the Rules of Life Program: Scientific Advancements and Future Opportunities. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/27021.
×
Page 20
Suggested Citation:"Strategies for Successful Multidisciplinary Research." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Understanding the Rules of Life Program: Scientific Advancements and Future Opportunities. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/27021.
×
Page 21
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In 2023, the National Academies held a series of facilitated workshops to gather information on progress to date on projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Understanding the Rules of Life (URoL) program. A fundamental goal of the URoL program is to identify the causal, predictive relationships that drive how life functions—a concept articulated as the "rules of life." Principal investigators of the URoL program shared findings from their research and how those findings might contribute to identifying rules of life that are generalizable across fields and scales. Participants also discussed how they have incorporated multidisciplinary, systems-level approaches into their work. This booklet highlights the program's focus areas and reach, major scientific breakthroughs, and lessons for research and education across scientific disciplines. This booklet is intended for policy and lay audiences interested in learning more about the goals and opportunities of NSF's URoL program.

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