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Call for New Interdisciplinary Research Themes

2024 Call for New IRTs

After three years of investment in our current Interdisciplinary Research Themes, we are opening a call for new IRTs. Up to three successful themes will be chosen to run for three years from August 2024, with an annual budget of £10,000 per theme. Each proposed theme will have a shared leadership team, comprising post-PhD staff from at least three Schools within the College of Social Sciences (CoSS). This call is open to new groups as well as members of the current themes. It’s important that these themes are driven by you, our research community, to reflect the strengths and opportunities for collaborative research across our College and beyond. See below for information about timings and process for the call. Please send any questions & completed applications to socsci-interdisciplinary@glasgow.ac.uk.

Logic Model Workshop

 Thursday 28th March, 1-2:30PM
Applications Due Thursday 25th April, 5PM (email to socsci-interdisciplinary@glasgow.ac.uk)
Panel Meeting Thursday 9th May, 12:30-4PM

Call for Applications

2024 IRT Application Form

Support for Idea Development

We will be running a range of online and in person sessions to help develop teams and ideas. We strongly encourage you to attend these sessions and/or discuss your idea with the Research Development Team as well as your line manager and School Research Director.

Online Info Sessions, Q&A and recording

We held two online information sessions & Q&A

  • Session 1: Wednesday 24 Jan 2.00-3.00PM
  • Session 2: Tuesday 30 Jan 9:30-10:30AM

FAQ from the session Q&A can be found here

Development & Matchmaking Workshops

We **strongly** encourage everyone who is able, to attend at least one of these in-person sessions. This will enable you to identify and meet colleagues interested in developing similar themes.

In-person development and matchmaking workshops  

IRT Development Workshop Slides

Online Drop-in Surgeries

Weekly (online) drop in surgeries

  • These are open session to ask questions and discuss your ideas as an individual or group with the college's Research Development Team.
  • The same Zoom link will work for all sessions; please register on Eventbrite to receive the link.
  • You can attend more than one session if needed. There is no need to register twice.
  • These are not one-to-one sessions. Please be aware that other people may attend the same session.

Dates of planned surgeries:

  • Thursday 15 February, 10am - 11.00am
  • Wednesday 21 February, 3.00pm - 4.00pm
  • Friday 1 March, 1.00pm - 2.00pm
  • Monday 4 March,10.00am - 11.00am
  • Tuesday 12 March, 2.00pm - 3.00pm
  • Monday 18 March, 3.00pm - 4.00pm
  • Wednesday 27 March, 2.00pm - 3.00pm
  • Friday 5 April, 12.00pm - 1.00pm
  • Tuesday 9 April, 9.30am - 10.30am
  • Wednesday 17 April, 11.00am - 12.00pm

Logic Model Workshop

Logic model workshop to support mapping of activities and outcomes

IRT Lead Testimonials

Here are a few testimonials from our current IRT leads across different disciplines and career stages.

Jill Robbie, Sustainability IRT

I am a Senior Lecturer in Law and a member of the Sustainability Interdisciplinary Leadership Team. I have been a member of the IRT for three years, and joined when I was a Lecturer. I mentioned in my application for the position that I was an Early Career Researcher and I wished to develop my leadership skills as well as enhance the interdisciplinary scope and reach of my expertise. The role has certainly allowed me to do exactly that! The team originally comprised Prof Jude Robinson, Prof Mia Perry and Dr John Shi, and regular contact with this diverse group of scholars to discuss and implement ways to enhance sustainability research across the College was really inspiring. Over the course of my term as IRT member, I have organised interdisciplinary research events, supported research grant applications as well as presented on the work of the IRT to external organisations. Being involved in supporting grant applications led by others built my confidence so that when a recent Land Use for Net Zero call was advertised by UKRI, I felt confident to lead a interdisciplinary team of researchers to submit a bid for this call. Submitting this bid was a rapid learning curve, but the support from the interdisciplinary team in the College Research Office was really exceptional in this context. When I reflect on the 3 years in the IRT, it has been a gradual progression in terms of building confidence in interdisciplinary working, recognising how hard that is, and understanding the support which is available for this type of work at Glasgow University. I am convinced that the transition to sustainability demands interdisciplinary research, so I would highly recommend this position to anyone wishing to build their skills in this way.

David Lundie, Justice, Insecurity & Fair Decision Making IRT

I applied to be part of the leadership team of the Justice, Insecurity and Fair Decision Making IRT as a newly-appointed Senior Lecturer, having just joined the Education team at the Dumfries Campus. Being part of the IRT helped me forge connections with academics at schools across the Main Campus, and find out more about the wider research culture of the institution. I am now Deputy Head of School at the Dumfries Campus, with responsibility for Research and Strategy, and have used the knowledge I gained of research culture initiatives across the University to help develop writing retreats, research mentoring and study leave opportunities for colleagues at our campus. Highlights from my time on the IRT have included bringing a group of colleagues interested in social justice together with a representative of the Nuffield Foundation, to find out more about their grantmaking process and priorities, and hearing about all the ways colleagues across the Social Sciences are building a more socially just society through their research.