Discovering the Power of Transdisciplinary Research: A Personal Journey
By Mehak Oberai
When my project lead first introduced me to the concept of “transdisciplinary research,” I was intrigued. Until then, I had only been familiar with inter-disciplinary and intra-disciplinary research via my previous work as public health data officer where I conducted reviews and applied my existing knowledge and the literature knowledge to upgrade few processes. As a public health researcher, I’ve had the advantage of working with professionals from various fields such as epidemiologists, community officers, public health officers, environmental health officers, and data analysts, but I never realised that there were structured ways to learn from these collaborations and enhance my research capabilities. The more I delved into transdisciplinary research, the more I understood its importance, especially for early career researchers (ECRs) like myself.
Unlike disciplinary or interdisciplinary research, which often keeps disciplines in their own silos, transdisciplinary research is about breaking down these barriers. It’s about collaboration, co-learning, and mutual growth. It is about being humble (recognising no one discipline knows everything) and curious (acknowledging that we can learn so much when we seek knowledge and methods from other disciplines). In interdisciplinary research, distinct disciplinary perspectives are shared towards a common goal, while in multidisciplinary research, independent research is conducted on a shared issue. Transdisciplinary research, however, goes a step further—it generates new models that transcend what any single discipline could achieve on its own. This approach encourages knowledge creation and sharing, helping us avoid working in silos and instead fostering a collective understanding of the issue and the complexity related to it. This instead promotes development of solutions or different interventions that incorporate diversity of knowledge.
For me, being involved in transdisciplinary research has been a game-changer. It hasn’t just expanded my research capacity; it’s also sharpened my project management and task prioritisation skills—both of which are invaluable for any future roles I may take on. Working in a transdisciplinary team has opened my eyes to new ways of learning and problem-solving, especially when tackling complex issues like climate change or healthy aging. It has highlighted not only how different disciplines when combined can be conflicting due to the different values and approaches involves, but also how these conflicts are being overcome through different frames of thinking, logical reasoning, and team involvement. Challenges such as climate change and healthy ageing demand a transdisciplinary approach, where collaboration, community involvement, and stakeholder engagement are key to achieving meaningful outcomes.
This approach does come with some cons as it is hard to keep such a diverse team engaged. It is difficult to get continuous buy in from your partners and stakeholders considering the different timelines and workspaces everyone is in. But overcoming these challenges to translate knowledge is what transdisciplinary research is all about.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this experience, it’s that transdisciplinary research is essential for addressing the multifaceted problems we face today. For anyone involved in the healthy aging space, or any field that deals with complex challenges, I can’t recommend this approach enough. It’s not just about advancing research—it’s about making a real, lasting impact. And at Griffith University, I have learnt that impact of research is the beneficial change it makes to societies, environments, economies, health, and/or culture.