Graduate students’ experiences conducting convergence research: challenges and shifting academic identities

Purpose With the growing emphasis on interdisciplinary and convergence research, this study aimed to examine the experiences, challenges and academic identity, reported by graduate students in a large convergence science research center. Convergence research approaches are increasingly being adopted as a way to address complex societal problems by engaging researchers from different disciplines to work together to address problems that cannot be addressed by one discipline alone. This study examined the experiences, challenges and academic identity, for graduate students in a large convergence science research center. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory study took the form of a case study. The context was a research center that included researchers from ten different universities and 28 different disciplines that included science, engineering, data analytics, computational science, social science and education. Participants were graduate students engaged in conducting research. The case study tracked the nine students for one year. Participants were interviewed every other month to document research experiences, perceptions of the beliefs of others, academic self-concept and self-efficacy for research as well as interests, attainment value, utility value and costs of being a graduate student. Findings The analyses of the interviews showed students changed their academic identities and, in many cases, added additional identities as they worked in convergence research teams. Participants reported experiencing challenges with language while working across different disciplines, and an increased commitment to the center’s sustainability goals. Research limitations/implications There were limited numbers of participants, the lack of a comparison group, and all were volunteers. Students’ perspectives are limited to this group of individuals and results are bound to their unique experiences and the convergence context. Practical implications There were challenges with disciplinary-based language, an awareness of a lack of knowledge and shifts in academic identity. However, unexpected sources of support included the public expression of epistemic humility, and a shared mission to address environmental issues. Social implications All graduate students encounter difficulties learning to do research and finding their way in large research universities, but for those in convergence science research centers this task can be difficult. The students’ reported changes in academic identity highlight the need to provide students in convergence science research programs with additional support as they learn to work in these complex and challenging environments. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to examine graduate students’ experience in convergence research contexts. The challenges they faced, the changes in understanding the research mission, and the shifts in academic identity, shed light on this new form of graduate research experience.