Risks and Rewards of an Interdisciplinary Research Path

This Policy Forum, based on the results of an 18-month study of five interdisciplinary research centers, provides data on the practices and processes of interdisciplinary collaboration. The authors used techniques of network and interview analysis. They find that, although many young scientists are drawn to the intellectual rewards of interdisciplinary research as graduate students, they may also be deterred by the professional risks as early-career tenure-track scientists.