These slides outline the current status of the thesis I am developing for the NC State University Master of Arts in Liberal Studies. My concentration is on Grant Writing, Administration and Evaluation.

1. HARD VS. HARDER SCIENCE:
UNIVERSITY CHARACTERISTICS THAT SUPPORT INTERDISCIPLINARY
RESEARCH
A Working Draft Thesis Concept
By Derek M. Gatlin

2. VALUE
• Interdisciplinarity is important to science
• Status quo will hinder competition for limited resources
• Diversity of views produce comprehensive and unique insights
• Article citations and impacts are increased

3. BARRIERS
• Universities are organized by domain siloes
• Support staff, systems and resources are decentralized
• Faculty advancement is focused on its domain
• Grant proposals are uninformed by local experts

4. “
”
A KEY TO SUCCESS IN RESEARCH OVER THE NEXT 10
YEARS IS INCORPORATING SOCIAL SCIENCE.
-Dr. Alan Rebar, NC State University’s Vice Chancellor of Research

5. RESEARCH NEEDED
• This research aims to inform development of solutions
• Assess institutional leadership, structure, and culture
• Recommend research-based, tailored solutions
• Prioritize reforms likely to diversify funding portfolios

6. THEORY
• Hypotheses from RK Merton’s Sociology of Science
• Science is a social activity with structures and processes
• “Serendipitous sociocognitive microenvironments” cause synergy
• Interdisciplinarity enhances “competitive cooperation”

7. POTENTIAL RESEARCH QUESTIONS
• To what extent are social forces affecting interdisciplinary research plans? Do faculty
members recognize these affects and, if so, how do they compensate for them?
• Has the Chancellor's Faculty Excellence Program caused increases in interdisciplinary
research funding?
• Are there model policies, leadership styles, or systems that can be replicated to
increase interdisciplinary research funding?
• How do faculty perceive university, college and departmental leadership, support
and culture in regards to interdisciplinary research?
• Which, if any, of these characteristics aid interdisciplinary research?
• Which, if any, of these characteristics hinder interdisciplinary research?

8. POTENTIAL METHODS
• Methods TBD by advisory committee
• Findings are intended to inform the final report
• Quasi-experimental approaches could include administrative data
• Causation could be triangulated with a mixed-method approach

9. ACCESSIBLE POPULATION
• NC State University Faculty
• Cluster faculty
• Interdisciplinary center collaborators
• Established or early career, more traditional faculty

10. THESIS PRODUCT
• Support for interdisciplinary research development
• Proposal to deepen scientific knowledge advancement
• Research-based plan complete with exemplar projects
• Faculty-led design for collaborative proposal development