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CONNECT to Collaborate: Discipline Hopping is a pilot training placement scheme, aimed at fostering better interdisciplinary working amongst health researchers across UCL.
The scheme will involve participants working in new disciplines and help them understand the demands in those areas as part of interdisciplinary collaboration. The scheme will provide short placements (i.e. one to three months), for participants to gain insight and experience in different disciplines, expanding their networks, learn about new/different leadership styles and discover new ways of working. Through this scheme, we also hope to better position participants and hosting laboratories and departments, to bid for future funding in a research landscape that is increasingly calling for more interdisciplinary working to tackle health challenges.
Projects on offer include:
(for details on project outcomes, see PDF document under 'Project placements' tab below):
| Project | Supervisor details / Point of contact | Project title & outline |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr Sarah Keating, The Centre for Advanced Research Computing (ARC) | Research Software Engineering Learn how to write code – the process of creating instructions that tells a computer what to do and how to do it, in order to replace repetitive tasks and support researchers to work more efficiently. |
| 2 | Dr Sarah Keating, ARC | Research Web Development |
| 3 | Dr Sarah Keating, ARC | Research Data Science Use machine learning/artificial intelligence to analyse data and abstract information that is not obviously visible. |
| 4 | Dr Sarah Keating, ARC | Research Data Stewardship |
| 5 | Dr Sarah Keating, ARC | Research Infrastructure Development |
| 6 | Dr Sarah Keating, ARC | PRISMS - Professional Research Investment and Strategy Managers Get involved with understanding and providing support for a wide range of projects. |
| 7 | Dr Nathan Davies Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care (IEHC) | Supporting Healthy Ageing in Primary Care |
| 8 | Prof Sarah Garfinkel Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (IoN) | The biological basis of empathy in ADHD |
| 9 | Dr Tchern Lenn Cancer Institute | How microscopes and image analysis are used in biomedical research |
| 10 | Dr Haiyan Zhou Institute of Child Health | Developing RNA-based novel therapies for genetic disorders and personalized medicine |
| 11 | Dr Amal Rammah Institute of Child Health | Pesticides use in the home and respiratory illness in the Barwon Infant Study |
| 12 | Dr Eleonora Lugarà Institute of Neurology (IoN) | Mapping the research and innovation landscape at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology The objective of this project is to construct a stakeholder and project map (list) for the QS IoN. Subsequent to the formation of this map, initiatives will be formulated to foster the progression of projects in accordance with their requirements. |
| 13 | Dr Frances Wiseman, UK Dementia Research Institute; Neurology (IoN) | Controlling for Sensory Confounds during cognitive testing of a series of amyloid-accumulation mouse models (data analysis only) |
| 14 | Dr Owen Vaughn Institute for Women’s Health | How does microRNA-142 impact fetal cardiac development in pregnancies complicated by maternal obesity? We want to understand how metabolic disease in mums impacts health in their children. Obesity and gestational diabetes in pregnancy increase obstetric complications and lead to childhood hypertension and obesity. We are investigating the microRNA mechanisms linking maternal obesity with changes in fetal heart and placenta development, funded by MRC. |
Deadline for applications: Friday 21st June 2024
Interested PhDs and Postdoctoral researcher can apply here: https://form.jotform.com/240864673652363
- What are the aims of CONNECT to Collaborate: Discipline Hopping?
- Educate and expose participnats to different disciplines.
- To encourage netwroking that will enable participants to apply for interdisciplinary grants and fellowshps that benefit themselves and their departments.
- To enable innovative thinking by exposing participants to different settings and research cultures.
- To expose participnats to different ways of working and leadership styles.
- To encourage more collaborative work between departments.
- Who is it for/eligible?
PhD students and postdoctoral researchers working in health research and life sciences at UCL.
- What does the scheme involve? Step-by-Step:
1) Participants will be offered the opportunity to select one placement from a list of placements.
2) Placements may be selected from a long list of hosting departments in different disciplines which have declared their participation in the scheme. (Long list to be shared soon).
3) Pairing is done where a participant is a mutual match for the host department offering the placement i.e. can demonstrate interdisciplinary working, interdisciplinary skills, knowledge and/or specialised technical skills.
4) Participants may indicate their top three choices in ranked order (1-3), though will only be offered one placement to take up.
5) Alongside the placements, all participants will be invited to scheduled group workshops with stakeholders from around UCL who have a proven track record of succeeding in the interdisciplinary sphere and/or have a relevant skill set that would be useful for CONNECT to Collaborate participants to understand.
- What is the duration of the placement?
The duration of a ‘Discipline Hopping’ placement is expected to be a one day per week commitment over a minimum of one month to a maximum of three months (the exact time commitment may be defined between the successful applicant and host department/laboratory/group).
- Is it free?
The scheme is free, and is funded by the UCL Academic Careers Office through the NIHR UCLH Biomedical Research Centre. The only committment required of participants and hosting departments is their time.
- Project Placements
Please see
for details of each the projects
- How do I apply?
Interested PhD and Postdoctoral Researchers may complete and submit the online application form which is now open: https://form.jotform.com/240864673652363
- What will happen after I sign up?
After the deadline has passed for signing up, we will be in touch to confirm whether you have an interdisciplinary training placement. You may be asked to complete a second stage application that will allow us/ACO and the hosting department to better understand your working background and how we might best support you.
- How will the scheme be evaluated?
Participants will complete surveys before joining the scheme, and again after it's completion, so we may measure how much/if the scheme has had an impact on how you successfully manage your interdisciplinary working. As this is a pilot scheme, we will also ask questions about how you feel the scheme was conducted, in order for us to evaluate how we might continue the scheme in future iterations.
Contact: CONNECT to Collaborate Manager, Nasema Uddin on Nasema.uddin@ucl.ac.uk