Perspectives on supervising and conducting interdisciplinary research projects

Abstract

This study has been carried out as an assignment in the 2021 Readership Course (GB_S91) at LTH. The motivation for this study was to obtain a further understanding of the situation of PhD students and supervisors who operate in an interdisciplinary research context. The focus is on finding the positive aspects, as well as existing challenges, to comprehend how to provide future PhD students with adequate support and inclusive environments. To unravel what constitutes a winning strategy when supervising PhD students in an interdisciplinary environment, we have conducted interviews with PhD students and supervisors active in interdisciplinary research projects at LTH. A general conclusion is that both PhD students and supervisors have a positive perspective towards interdisciplinary research with an emphasis on the interesting and inspirational challenging aspects. The main negative issue raised by PhD students is confusion about which supervisors he/she should turn to for help in different situations. The supervisors on the other hand address challenges related to communication, financing, publication, and recruitment.