Collaborating across disciplines

- Innovation and academia…comes from the collision of new ideas…with established concepts.…One of the best ways to find those new ideas…is to look outside your academic field.…In fact,…innovative ideas are often situated at the intersection…of two or more disciplines,…and many of the problems being researched today…generally require input from more than one discipline.…Collaborating across disciplines is not a simple process.…I've found that many academic institutions…are highly siloed organizations,…professors in the history department…rarely interact with faculty…in the organic chemistry department,…and English professors rarely mix…with computer science professors.…

Your days get busy, the job gets demanding,…and rarely does cross-department interaction occur…on anything than a cursory level.…Yet interdisciplinary collaboration is becoming…more and more of a priority…for top tier academics…and those who want to have a rich and robust career.…Several recent trends encourage collaboration…across disciplines.…One driving trend…