{"id":1042,"date":"2025-01-17T09:17:08","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T09:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/molecular-science-engineering\/?p=1042"},"modified":"2025-01-17T09:19:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T09:19:28","slug":"transdisciplinary-research-to-solve-grand-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/molecular-science-engineering\/2025\/01\/17\/transdisciplinary-research-to-solve-grand-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"New year resolution: building bridges across disciplines"},"content":{"rendered":"

The time has come to make new year resolutions! You could aim to learn a new skill, technique or perhaps embrace a new discipline? How about starting a new collaboration with a researcher in a different field? Or expanding research beyond the lab into industry applications and policy recommendations?<\/p>\n

If these ideas have crossed your mind, then your new resolution could be to embrace a multi, inter and\/or transdisciplinary research approach so solve grand challenges.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Multi, inter and transdisciplinary approaches<\/h2>\n

We use a multidisciplinary approach when we combine or add up different research disciplines to solve one common problem. Through an interdisciplinarity approach, the research disciplines interact leading to combined solutions by integrating both knowledge and methodologies. Finally, the wider approach is the transdisciplinary one where a different type of stakeholder is also included. A transdisciplinary team includes researchers but also industry members and policy makers.<\/p>\n

\"Differentiation
From single disciplines to a joined effort through multi, inter and transdisciplinary approaches. These research approaches are fundamental to solve grand challenges.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How do we tackle microplastics in wastewater?<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s use a practical example to understand these approaches using the microplastics in wastewater issue.<\/p>\n

A multidisciplinary approach will involve investigating the molecular properties of plastic by experts in polymers chemistry as well as scientists whose expertise are enzymes that can alter those polymers. In parallel, there will be researchers in wastewater, measuring microplastics contamination and analysing the environment’s properties. With this approach, we will learn separately the chemistry of plastic, find enzymes able to degrade polymers, the scale of the problem, and the environmental conditions (temperature, volumes etc.) in wastewater.<\/p>\n

In an interdisciplinary approach<\/a>, there will be an integration of the previous three disciplines, exchanging knowledge and methodologies. Through this closer collaboration, there is a potential to design an enzyme that can degrade specific plastic in the conditions present in wastewater.<\/p>\n

In the transdisciplinary approach<\/a>, the three previous disciplines will be joined by experts from industry who could manufacture the solution at large scale and from policy, who could implement changes in the processing of the water.<\/p>\n