Coastal Research Seen Through an Early Career Lens—A Perspective on Barriers to Interdisciplinarity in Norway

Abstract

The value of interdisciplinarity for solving complex coastal problems is widely recognized. Many early career researchers (ECRs) therefore actively seek this type of collaboration through choice or necessity, for professional development or project funding. However, establishing and conducting interdisciplinary research collaborations as an ECR has many challenges. Here, we identify these challenges through the lens of ECRs working in different disciplines on a common ecosystem, the Norwegian Skagerrak coast. The most densely populated coastline in Norway, the Skagerrak coast, is experiencing a multitude of anthropogenic stressors including fishing, aquaculture, eutrophication, climate change, land runoff, development, and invasive species. The Skagerrak coastline has also been the focus of environmental science research for decades, much of which aims to inform management of these stressors. The region provides a fantastic opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration, both within and beyond the environmental sciences. This perspective article identifies the barriers ECRs in Norway face in establishing interdisciplinary and collaborative research to inform management of coastal ecosystems, along with their root causes. We believe our discussion will be of broad interest to all research institutions who employ or educate ECRs (in Norway and worldwide), and to those who develop funding mechanisms for ECRs and interdisciplinary research.

Five actionable pillars to engage the next generation of leaders in the co-design of transformative ocean solutions

“…Co-design processes often take extensive time [ 65 ]. However, the current academic employment model is typified by short-term contracts [ 25 , 26 , 28 ]. These insecure employment conditions have personal impacts on ECOPs, including stress and resulting impacts on mental health [ 71 ], as well as broader consequences, including reduced commitment to the institutions, unfinished projects resulting from insufficient time within these short-term contracts, or time spent elsewhere on necessary new employment searches and job applications [ 72 , 73 ].…”

“…ECOPs today face many interpersonal, institutional, and cultural challenges to engagement, including limited knowledge-sharing and mentorship opportunities, and limited access to training that targets essential skills for working across sectors and disciplines [ 23 , 24 ]. In addition, access to professional opportunities, support, and funding to develop networks and to participate in transdisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and cross-sector projects is often scarce [ 25 ]. Further, existing and traditional metrics of “success” frequently do not align with co-design goals and may fail to recognize other achievements and contributions outside of research (e.g., mentorship, teaching, community engagement; [ 26 , 27 ]), hindering ECOPs professional growth.…”

“…Further, existing and traditional metrics of “success” frequently do not align with co-design goals and may fail to recognize other achievements and contributions outside of research (e.g., mentorship, teaching, community engagement; [ 26 , 27 ]), hindering ECOPs professional growth. The current workplace culture, including the casualization of the workforce and dominance of short-term, insecure contracts [ 24 , 25 ], the prevalence of unpaid positions including internships [ 28 ], unequitable and unbalanced workloads across the sector [ 29 ], as well as documented bullying [ 30 ] have led to reduced retention rates of ECOPs, including within ocean science and sustainability fields, and in particular for marginalized groups [ 31 ].…”

“…It is apparent that many barriers, biases, and challenges hinder inclusion and collaboration of early career ocean professionals in the co-design of sustainable ocean solutions [ 25 , 26 , 41 – 44 ]. Given these barriers and challenges, guidance on how to better engage ECOPs in the co-design of transformative ocean solutions is vitally needed [ 45 ].…”

Disentangling Obstacles to Knowledge Co-Production for Early-Career Researchers in the Marine Sciences

“…Participatory research and especially knowledge co-production pose a range of challenges (Berkes, 2011;Cvitanovic et al, 2015;Oliver et al, 2019;Walsh et al, 2019). These include structural issues of academic systems, practice orientation vs. scientific excellence, high workload and time pressure, as well as limited access to (knowledge) networks for turning research into action (Deininger et al, 2021;Rogga and Zscheischler, 2021). These challenges are amplified for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) due to common limitations in terms offunding, time, experience, and networks (e.g., Felt et al, 2013;Haider et al, 2018;Fam et al, 2020;Schrot et al, 2020).…”