Modern biological and biomedical sciences are team sports, with primary investigators supported by a roster of students, postdocs, technicians, and administrators. Increasingly, scientists are also reaching outside the boundaries of their expertise, collaborating with partners from different disciplines who add their own skills, experience, and perspective to address the challenges of the rapidly changing modern world.
Addressing the health needs of a rapidly expanding and aging population; confronting climate change; or making sense of the enormous troves of data generated by a networked world – these problems demand fresh thinking that couldn’t come from traditional research disciplines alone. The complexity and scale of such new scientific and engineering challenges also demand a diversity of perspectives and deep expertise that makes it increasingly difficult for any one scientist or laboratory to go it alone.
Instead, ambitious researchers look outward to expand the possibilities of their work and drive it toward impactful solutions. Gynecologists work with neuroscientists to restore sensation for breast cancer survivors. Cardiac surgeons and materials engineers build an ultra-thin pacemaker that is controlled by light. Marine biologists lend their expertise on microbes to help gastroenterologists treat digestive diseases.
“Biomedical research is at an inflection point, where researchers who are driving discovery must adapt to meet the challenges and opportunities of a new digital era,” said Mark Anderson, Dean of the Biological Sciences Division and Pritzker School of Medicine, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, and the Paul and Allene Russell Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago.
“To emerge as leaders in this rapidly changing environment, academic research institutions have to pivot to combine the deep domain knowledge of biological researchers and clinicians with the broader skillsets, methodologies, and approaches to problem solving brought to the table by multidisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers,” he said.
To read the story published by UChicago News, click here. However, that article was adapted from a longer version published by the Biological Sciences Division. For the full article, click here.
