The complexity of scientific, social and technological problems have increased in the recent decades. Developing solutions to these complex problems requires integration of knowledge, methods and skills across different disciplines. As a result, more and more scientists are now engaged in interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary research projects. The effectiveness of a collaboration is going to be largely dependent on the way it is envisioned, run and managed.
Our group’s research focuses on studying various dimensions of scientific groups and collaborations between scientists and institutions. Research topics of interest to our group include: Leadership practices in scientific groups, scientists’s attitudes towards collaboration, scientists’ experiences with collaborations, collaboration processes, research lab culture, culture change, communication in scientific collaborations, diversity and inclusion plans and practices of scientific groups, nature of scientific research meetings, and factors that contribute to a research group’s creativity and productivity.
Team leadership
Management/leadership of collaborative groups can play a major role in both the group culture and effectiveness of the collaboration. Our research seeks to learn about the practical structures and accounts of leadership as well as gauge the perceived structure dynamics that impact the work of scientific research groups. Understanding the impact of leadership practices on group culture, group cohesiveness, member performance, and creativity is central to our work. We apply both qualitative and quantitative methods to understand the dynamics of leadership practices and the impact these practices have on group performance and creativity.
Group culture
Culture is central to what a group values, how they work alone and together to achieve group goals. Our group’s work focuses on understanding how group culture is formed, how it functions and how this culture in turn impacts the way group as a whole and and the individual members of the group. We also study how disciplinary cultures impact the productivity of interdisciplinary collaborations.
In order to better inform/train scientists to have more successful collaborations, we need to fully understand the nature and perceptions of how individual scientists view those collaborations. How aligned are the expectations, goals, and motivations among collaborators.
Productivity
Productivity of group members and scientific groups depend on various factors ranging from intellectual curiosity, communication of expectations, leadership to resource and talent management, and accountability policies.
Creativity
Generating new knowledge by engaging in creative thinking and work is one of the main goals of research groups. Our work focuses on understanding structural dynamics and individual characteristics that impact and foster group creativity.
Group trust
Similar to group culture, group trust can have major impacts on the effectiveness and efficiency of collaborations as a whole and can play a role in an individuals’ view of collaborations and willingness to positively engage in them in the future. We are interested in gauging how individuals view their co-collaborators and the trust they have in them to complete scientific research and to be driven by the same/similar motivators that they are.
Interdisciplinary collaborations
More scientists are now motivated to engage in interdisciplinary collaborations. Yet, they have no educational background on how to go about establishing meaningful and effective collaborations that can sustain over time. As a result, scientists end up collaborating with people they can get along not necessarily with the people that can bring more creativity , quality and productivity to their work. Scientists need professional development opportunities, formal structures and resources to successfully engage in interdisciplinary collaborations. Our group focuses on creating formal structures, training and resources to help scientists effectively engage with one another for the purpose of advancing their research, careers and increasing the impact of their work.
Institutional collaborations
Institutions are often motivated to develop short-term and long term collaborations for projects of large and small sizes. Studying how these products start, how they evolve over time and die has significant implications for developing meaningful and effective institutional collaborations. We are interested in studying the processes that enable institutional collaborations become effective endeavors.