The 'Discipline' in Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Research

Abstract

Anitra Nelson's current research focuses on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in work practices and homes. She offers social science insights and support to researchers in the Spatial Information and Architecture Laboratory (RMIT University: http://www.sial.rmit.edu.au/) on projects which investigate factors leading to change and innovation in architectural design practice, especially in collaborative digital design. Anitra is also the project manager and a principle investigator in the Suburban Communities project (http://www.suburbancommunities.net) a large 3-year interdisciplinary project which is exploring the use of ICT in residential neighbourhoods and is funded by the Australasian CRC for Interaction Design (ACID). Anitra takes an action research approach tempered by critical reflection of a more general and theoretical variety. Her work in the Suburban Communities project focuses on the collaborative development of methods collectively referred to as 'future ethnography'. Her recent research background is in community-based sustainability and she is editing a book for the RMIT-NATSEM Centre of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute on policy-making for sustainable cities.