Interdisciplinary Approach Recognized

[News Brief] - Published on June 8, 2022 in Doctoral and HDR Training

There were about 40 candidates, but only 6 winners. The winners of the doctoral college’s interdisciplinary dissertation award were announced on April 20 and 22. The award recognizes exceptional research that stands out for its scope beyond a single discipline, its originality, and often its societal impact. The award will be presented on Monday, July 11, following the doctoral degree conferral ceremony.

“The world we live in is complex, and the issues we face—whether climatic, political, sociological, or ecological—are just as complex; we therefore need approaches that bring together multiple disciplines to address the challenges of today and tomorrow,” explains Gilles Subra. To highlight this interdisciplinary approach to research, the director of theUM doctoral collegeUM decided to recognize dissertation work that has an impact beyond its discipline.“Also because it is very difficult to compare dissertations across disciplines that are sometimes very different from one another. We have therefore decided to recognize a dissertation in which the doctoral student has gone beyond their primary discipline,” adds Gilles Subra.

A unique initiative that builds on theUM ongoing effortsUM promote interdisciplinarity: “ In particular , we are joining the IDIL master’s program programs, in which students can gain an introduction to disciplines from other tracks, allowing us to establish a strong link between the master’s and the doctoral programs , ” emphasizes the director of the doctoral college.

Call for Applications

But how can we identify these interdisciplinary dissertations among all the dissertations completed at the university?“We issued a call for applications to doctoral graduates from 2020 and 2021; a total of about forty doctoral students applied.” Each application was then evaluated by all the doctoral schools affiliated withUM doctoral collegeUM shortlisted candidates based on three criteria: the quality of the dissertation, its interdisciplinary nature, and a short video produced by the candidates.

For each class, six candidates were selected to participate in the finals. To determine the winner: a 5-minute oral presentation before a jury of six people from different disciplines.“This reflects a commitment to transdisciplinarity, as the jury included guest researchers from the MAK’IT program.” These researchers, from diverse disciplines and geographic backgrounds, come to Montpellier for a residency to conduct transdisciplinary work.

The jury’s mission:“to evaluate the interdisciplinary nature of their dissertations and determine to what extent their research is innovative within that interdisciplinary framework,” comments Gilles Subra.“For example, one of the dissertations presented focuses on the process of obtaining consent by combining cognitive science and law—that’s something new.”

Societal Impact

The award-winning research projects are often transdisciplinary in nature and have a social purpose that extends beyond the scientific disciplines. This type of research“brings universities and society closer together by giving meaning to the researcher’s role among citizens who need to understand the purpose of research in order to better embrace it ”—a concept that clearly appeals to the candidates.

“I would like to congratulate all the participants, and especially the six winners. This competition helps promote interdisciplinarity across all scientific fields supported by the University of Montpellier and its partners within the doctoral college. For the next edition, I strongly encourage potential candidates working on an interdisciplinary topic to participate,” said Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier.

The Interdisciplinary Thesis Prize awards each of these six winners a sum of 500€. The awards ceremony will take place alongside the 2021 doctoral graduation ceremony, which will be held at the Corum on Monday, July 11, 2022, at the Berlioz Opera House. The awards will be presented starting at 7:00 p.m. at the Jardin des Plantes, at the beginning of the festive evening following the graduation ceremony.

Keywords: Students, Training, Research