Transdisciplinarity in transformative ocean governance research—reflections of early career researchers

Addressing socio-environmental challenges requires a multifaceted approach and a comprehensive understanding, which is precisely what transdisciplinary research can provide. The transdisciplinary approach, however, brings new challenges to early career researchers, who have to acquire the necessary methods and skills while conducting their ongoing research. Along with increasing access to resources and training, guidance from supervisors and informal exchange with other transdisciplinary early career researchers play key roles in effectively supporting them.

Peer-reviewed journal publication is the main means for academic researchers in the life sciences to create a permanent, public record of their work. These publications are also the de facto currency for career progress, with a strong link between journal brand recognition and perceived value. The current peer-review process can lead to long delays between submission and publication, with cycles of rejection, revision and resubmission causing redundant peer review. This situation creates unique challenges for early career researchers (ECRs), who rely heavily on timely publication of their work to gain recognition for their efforts. ECRs face changes in the academic landscape including the increased interdisciplinarity of life sciences research, expansion of the researcher population and consequent shifts in employer and funding demands. The publication of preprints, publicly available scientific manuscripts posted on dedicated preprint servers prior to journal managed peer-review, can play a key role in addressing these ECR challenges. Preprinting benefits include rapid dissemination of academic work, open access, establishing priority or concurrence, receiving feedback and facilitating collaborations. While there is a growing appreciation for and adoption of preprints, a minority of all articles in life sciences and medicine are preprinted. The current low rate of preprint submissions in life sciences and ECR concerns regarding preprinting needs to be addressed. We provide a perspective from an interdisciplinary group of early career researchers on the value of preprints and advocate the wide adoption of preprints to advance knowledge and facilitate career development.

Abstract. Accelerating climate change and increased economic and environmental interests in permafrost-affected regions have resulted in an acute need for more directed permafrost research. In June 2014, 88 early career researchers convened to identify future priorities for permafrost research. This multidisciplinary forum concluded that five research topics deserve greatest attention: permafrost landscape dynamics, permafrost thermal modeling, integration of traditional knowledge, spatial distribution of ground ice, and engineering issues. These topics underline the need for integrated research across a spectrum of permafrost-related domains and constitute a contribution to the Third International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP III).

How the Biochemical Society and Portland Press are engaging with and supporting early career researchers

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Early career researchers at Mount Sinai have access to a wide range of resources and support. It can, however, be challenging for new investigators to know where to find information and who to ask for help. To address this issue, an Emerging Investigators website was conceived to bring together resources, provide educational support and foster a community of early career investigators at Mount Sinai. In order to ensure this resource effectively meets the needs of this cohort of researchers, and to determine the scope and content of the proposed website, a series of focus group interviews were undertaken with early career researchers at various stages of their careers. The aims of these focus groups were to 1) explore the self-perceived challenges faced by early career researchers that could be addressed through education and / or support, 2) explore the self-perceived learning needs of early career researchers that are not currently being addressed at Mount Sinai, 3) determine the website content that early career researchers would find valuable to support them in their development. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A convenience sample of early career researchers at Mount Sinai were contacted for participation (N = 20). A total of 13 participants responded and three focus groups were conducted, one with the KL2 scholars (N=4), one with TL1 postdocs (N=4) and one with PORTAL students (N=5) during Spring 2018. Participants were initially asked to consider the challenges that early career researchers face. They were subsequently asked to consider which of these challenges they thought could be addressed through education or support. Participants were then asked to consider what they wished they knew more about in relation to research knowledge, skills or behaviors. Participants were finally asked to discuss the resources or support they thought would help them to manage the challenges or meet the learning needs they identified. The interview questions were semi-structured to allow the conversation to flow, and to allow the participants to discuss issues of importance to them. At the end of the discussion, participants were asked to rank their top priorities for inclusion in an Emerging Investigators website, up to a maximum of 3 per person. Focus group sessions lasted between 1 and 1.5 hours. All key points were captured by the participants on flip-chart paper and sticky notes. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Interview data was transcribed and thematic analysis was used to identifying patterns or themes within the data. A theoretical thematic analysis was conducted, driven by the specific research questions. Each segment of data that was relevant to the research questions or captured something interesting was coded. These codes were examined and further grouped into six key themes that were consistent across all three focus groups. These themes were categorized as: Mapping the research pathway, Research skills, Personal development, Mentorship, Community of Practice and Opportunities at Mount Sinai. Within each of these themes, more specific codes align directly with learning needs for early career investigators at Mount Sinai. When asked to prioritize topics for inclusion in the website, the pre-doc PORTAL students selected research skills that included statistics, navigating the IRB and writing and publication, as well as mapping the research landscape at Mount Sinai. Both the post-doc TL1s and the KL2s also selected some research skills such as scientific writing and conference presentation, but also prioritized personal development and “soft skills” such as leadership, management, collaborating with others and finding a work-life balance. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The themes articulated by the focus group participants have formed the basis for developing the Emerging Investigators website. Each of the key themes will be reflected in the learning and resources provided on the website. The prioritization of topics differed between groups, reflecting the different stages and levels of experience of these researchers. As a result, the website provides key learning and “top tips” suitable for all levels of early career researchers, but with links to further reading and resources for those at a more advanced level who are interested in learning more. In addition, the reported need for communication, collaboration and social interaction with peers and other researchers across Mount Sinai resulted in the addition of further web-based resources such as a discussion forum, a blog to feature research and provide a sounding board for research efforts, and a calendar of events targeted specifically at early career researchers. The focus groups provided much valued insight to underpin this project and ensure that a valuable resource is created that will meet the needs of early career researchers. The website is currently under development with a view to launch a pilot site in early 2019.

Voices in the wilderness: how exclusionist article processing charge policies of academic journals underscore what is wrong with global health

Peer-reviewed journal publication is the main means for academic researchers in the life sciences to create a permanent public record of their work. These publications are also the de facto currency for career progress, with a strong link between journal brand recognition and perceived value. The current peer-review process can lead to long delays between submission and publication, with cycles of rejection, revision, and resubmission causing redundant peer review. This situation creates unique challenges for early career researchers (ECRs), who rely heavily on timely publication of their work to gain recognition for their efforts. Today, ECRs face a changing academic landscape, including the increased interdisciplinarity of life sciences research, expansion of the researcher population, and consequent shifts in employer and funding demands. The publication of preprints, publicly available scientific manuscripts posted on dedicated preprint servers prior to journal-managed peer review, can play a key role in addressing these ECR challenges. Preprinting benefits include rapid dissemination of academic work, open access, establishing priority or concurrence, receiving feedback, and facilitating collaborations. Although there is a growing appreciation for and adoption of preprints, a minority of all articles in life sciences and medicine are preprinted. The current low rate of preprint submissions in life sciences and ECR concerns regarding preprinting need to be addressed. We provide a perspective from an interdisciplinary group of ECRs on the value of preprints and advocate their wide adoption to advance knowledge and facilitate career development.

How can publishers support early career journal editors?

The opportunities in the fields of probiotics and prebiotics to a great degree stem from what we can learn about how they influence the microbiota and interact with the host. We discuss recent insights, cutting-edge technologies and controversial results from the perspective of early career researchers innovating in these areas. This perspective emerged from the 2019 meeting of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics - Student and Fellows Association (ISAPP-SFA). Probiotic and prebiotic research is being driven by genetic characterization and modification of strains, state-of-the-art in vitro, in vivo, and in silico techniques designed to uncover the effects of probiotics and prebiotics on their targets, and metabolomic tools to identify key molecules that mediate benefits on the host. These research tools offer unprecedented insights into the functionality of probiotics and prebiotics in the host ecosystem. Young scientists need to acquire these diverse toolsets, or form inter-connected teams to perform comprehensive experiments and systematic analysis of data. This will be critical to identify microbial structure and co-dependencies at body sites and determine how administered probiotic strains and prebiotic substances influence the host. This and other strategies proposed in this review will pave the way for translating the health benefits observed during research into real-life outcomes. Probiotic strains and prebiotic products can contribute greatly to the amelioration of global issues threatening society. The intent of this article is to provide an early career researcher’s perspective on where the biggest opportunities lie to advance science and impact human health.

Development is a not-for-profit journal; our publishing company, The Company of Biologists, is a registered charity and it, as well as the journal itself, is run by scientists for scientists. What this means for us is that, alongside publishing high-quality articles, our mission is to support our communitystem cell and developmental biologists like you. As an important part of this mission, we aim to provide resources and support for early career researchers (ECRs). We recognise that undergraduate researchers, PhD students, postdocs and those recently appointed to their first independent position are at the heart of the field and represent its future. We also know that being an ECR is challenging: funding can be very competitive, employment can be insecure and gaining experience in the skills needed to be a successful researcher can be difficult. To support ECRs and help them navigate the hurdles and opportunities of a research career, Development has been working hard in recent years to establish and fund several initiatives designed specifically with ECRs in mind.

Plain English summaryPatient-oriented research (POR) has received increasing attention in recent years. In this approach, patients’ experiential knowledge, derived from their experiences of living with a condition or illness and of interacting with the healthcare system, is recognized, valued, and seen as complementary to scientific knowledge. Early career researchers (ECRs) are the next generation of researchers, but little is known about how they perceive POR. In this study, ECRs were invited to reflect on what POR is, how patients can best contribute to research, and ECRs’ own role in developing POR. Using a technique designed to collect expert opinions and find consensus—the Delphi method—a panel of 16 ECRs responded, in three rounds, to three questionnaires, with the second and third being built on responses to the preceding ones. Based on their understanding, the panelists agreed that the most important element in defining POR would be valuing, mobilizing, and legitimizing the experiential knowledge of patients who live with a particular health condition. Panelists considered patients to be integral members of the research team, but were less convinced that they should be considered co-researchers. The panelists saw themselves as taking part in developing POR by sharing information, teaching, and encouraging POR among their peers, as well as by participating actively in organizations interested in POR. This is the first study to examine the perspectives of ECRs, who, along with many others, have an important role in supporting the on-going development of POR so that it becomes more widely adopted.BackgroundLiterature on patient-oriented research (POR) is growing rapidly. This field is increasingly encouraged by funders and structured by new research networks. POR involves moving away from considering patients as ‘subjects’, towards perceiving them as experts with experience-based knowledge. However, little is known about how early-career researchers (ECRs) perceive POR and their roles in developing it. This study examined how ECRs perceive POR, patients’ roles, the future of POR, and their own role in developing this approach.MethodsA three-round Delphi study was conducted with Quebec’s Strategy for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials (SUPPORT) Unit awardees, composed of graduate students and clinicians, all ECRs. Of the 25 invited, 18 agreed to participate (72%), with a three-round retention rate of 89% (n = 16 on 18). Panelists answered open-ended questions, selected the most salient statements, and rated their (dis)agreement with proposals using a 7-point scale.ResultsFive main themes emerged: 1) ECRs’ knowledge of and experience with POR; 2) the POR definition; 3) patients’ roles and contributions; 4) the future of POR; and 5) ECRs’ roles in POR development. This study revealed that the ECRs were not so familiar with POR, even given their opportunities for networking within a scholarship program. Panelists agreed on the main components of a POR definition: valuing, mobilizing, and legitimizing the experiential knowledge of patients living with a health condition; conducting research that focuses on patients’ concerns, participation, and outcomes; and integrating active partnership among a variety of actors. Panelists considered patients to be integral members of the research team (M = 5.31 ± 1.66), but were less convinced they should be considered co-researchers (M = 4.50 ± 1.75). Panelists saw themselves as playing many roles in developing POR, such as becoming well-informed about it and acting as knowledge brokers, motivators, doers, delegators, and activists.ConclusionThe ECRs’ perspectives are informative on how the next generation of researchers envision POR, its future and how they might contribute to developing this approach. There is a clear need for a coherent and concerted strategy for POR capacity development, in which ECRs’ perspectives and their specific needs are taken into account.

Peer Reviewed

Early career (doctoral and postdoctoral) researchers often lack experience with transdisciplinary research despite their interest in tackling societal challenges with colleagues. Engagement in transdisciplinary research may not be an obvious choice because of limited support from their academic environment, difficulties of publishing, or a lack of suitable methods. In this work, we focus on the last. In order to evaluate several possible methodologies, we brought together a group of 10 young researchers from various disciplines to consider the question ‘What is progress?’. They examined this question via essay writing, a workshop, and a full-day colloquium, using methods that were based on examples from literature. After this process, input from the participants was gathered by means of a survey. Here, we provide an evaluation of existing methods and introduce four new methods: orientation exercise, census, individual reflection, walking consensus. Our results show that such a transdisciplinary exercise can readily be performed by a group of young researchers if the process is methodologically well structured, opening up opportunities for integrating such transdisciplinary insights in early career research.

Human influences on Earth's natural systems are accelerating, with anthropogenic climate and global change posing existential risks for mankind. To overcome the policy implementation gap in practice both collective and transformative actions for sustainability involving science, policy and society are urgently needed. In the realms of science, this relates to taking inter-and transdisciplinary research approaches to foster exchange and co-designing policy options between researcher, decision-makers and other societal stakeholders; however, such collaboration is often limited by time, funding and complexity constrains. This paper recognises that particularly early career climate change and sustainability researchers are exposed to both the claim for and practical challenges of inter- and transdisciplinarity . For a first qualitative investigation of Austrian early career researchers’ preparedness for conducting participatory research with societal stakeholders, this study examines perspectives of twelve early career researchers participating in a young scientists' workshop. Using a pre-post survey and analysing data by content, our findings indicate that workshop participants have to manage stakeholder processes directly after graduation and, due to a lack of methodological training, only use a small fraction of existing social science methods and participatory settings for stakeholder collaboration. To support other early career researchers and future students in Austria in developing strong inter-and transdisciplinary research skills, we highlight the added-value of integrating hands-on workshops with societal stakeholders, regular exchange of lessons learned and transdisciplinary lectures into university education. Offering more practice-oriented transdisciplinary learning activities during undergraduate education, like excursions and mini-projects in which students can develop and train participatory methods together with stakeholders under guidance, is believed to be a fruitful strategy in this context.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to researchers worldwide, and extensive studies have demonstrated that its impacts since March 2020 have been unequal, including across research discipline, gender, and career status. In 2023, as we navigate the post-pandemic times, questions persist regarding potential disparities and enduring effects faced by volcanology researchers, whose activities range from field work in remote areas to laboratory experiments and numerical modelling. In this study, we explore the multifaceted impacts of the pandemic on volcanology researchers through an online survey distributed globally from January to March 2023. Our survey findings reveal that a considerable fraction of volcanology researchers (44%–62%) face longer-term challenges from the pandemic that continue to impact their research, with a notably higher proportion among early career researchers (62%) and researchers with disabilities (76%). In addition, over half (52%) of all surveyed researchers indicated that they had left or considered leaving academia due to pandemic-related factors. A significantly higher proportion of disabled researchers (56%–70%) had left or considered leaving academia compared to researchers without disabilities (42%). Our findings underscore the pandemic’s long-lasting and disproportionate impacts on early career and disabled volcanology researchers. We emphasis the need for concerted efforts by research organisations and funding bodies to mitigate the pandemic’s enduring impacts, and stress the importance of making conferences accessible to support disabled researchers’ participation. As the pandemic’s long-lasting impacts ripple across the broader scientific community, the insights from this research can be used for fostering equitable practices and shaping policies beyond volcanology to other research disciplines.