When: November the 22nd, 1pm-5pm  

Where: Studio 2 of the ARC building 

The College of Social Sciences Interdisciplinary Research Themes, are pleased to be hosting a panel event and workshop entitled 'Exploring Interdisciplinary Research: A Hand's-on Approach.' This afternoon event will provide a valuable opportunity for critical reflection and knowledge exchange on interdisciplinary research in the social sciences and beyond, including a capacity workshop for engaging in interdisciplinary research. We are honoured to welcome the following speakers to our event: 

• Dr Rosa Filgueira is a Lecturer at the School of Computer Science at the University of St Andrews and UK and leads the Systems Research Group within the School. Her research focuses on developing new advanced information-processing technologies and interfaces to extract knowledge from data with the goal of accelerating scientific discovery and facilitating the production and adoption of reproducible and reusable scientific software that exploits state-of-the-art distributed and parallel computing platforms. She applies these techniques to domains such as health, earth and life sciences, and digital humanities to co-design and implement new data science and machine learning applications.   

• Dr Tarik Olcay is Lecturer in Public Law at the University of Dundee, where he teaches UK public law and comparative constitutional law. His research is primarily on constitutional reform and his current research interests are the interplay between peace-making and constitutional reform processes, the limits of constitutional change, and the use of technology in constitutional reform. His research to date has been published in outlets including the European Constitutional Law Review, Hastings Law Journal, International Journal of Constitutional Law, and Public Law. 

• Dr Diego Pajarito is research associate at the Urban Big Data Centre. His research focuses on using geospatial technologies to enable citizen participation and co-create geospatial data. Diego leads the implementation of the data platform that supports the mapping and modelling of informal settlements in Nigeria and Kenya as part of the IDEAMAPS Data Ecosystem.  

• Dr Grant Tregonning is research associate in participatory urban analytics at the Urban Big Data Centre. He combines geospatial and citizen science methods to understand issues associated with urban sustainability and liveability. Within the IDEAMAPS project, Grant leads the development of modelling approaches to AI and participatory data collection activities. 

• Dr Gilles Bailet is research fellow at the University of Glasgow leading the Out-of-Earth Manufacturing program. Gilles has 12 years experience in space systems with hardware in space, several patents and instrumentations considered for entry probes in Venus and Uranus. Passionate about emerging technologies and space exploration he is exploring how space technology can impact beneficially life on Earth. 

• Dr Gabriella Rodolico is a Senior Lecturer in Science Education (Biology) at the School of Education, University of Glasgow. She is a PhD level biotechnologist and qualified as Biology with Science teacher at the University of Strathclyde. She taught in secondary schools and higher education gaining a wide experience in this field. Since she joined University of Glasgow, her main research interests have focused on the implementation of innovative technology in Initial Teacher Education courses such as Virtual Reality and the impact that it has on student teachers. Nevertheless, during her time in the School of Education, she has also had the chance to further develop her other interest in internationalisation by engaging in several scholarship projects and taking on board the role of School of Education Director of Internationalisation. 

The event will have two main components. We will showcase specific interdisciplinary projects from researchers, who are integrating fields of law, computer science, fashion design, space engineering, artificial intelligence, urban analytics, education and digital platforms in their research. Then through chaired questions, the speakers will share critical reflections on the challenges and rewards in undertaking their interdisciplinary research activities. Speakers will have the opportunity to discuss various elements of their projects, such as research design, communicating across disciplines, leading an interdisciplinary team, managing ethical concerns and publishing. This will be followed by a Q & A session with the audience.  

From this initial session, participants will be invited to take part in an interactive workshop with an applied focus. Through groupwork, guests will apply their different disciplinary perspectives to real life examples of current social issues. This will challenge participants to work with colleagues across academic disciplines to translate research ideas and approaches into collaborative interdisciplinary endeavours. Outputs from each of the groups will be collected and collated for a final group discussion. 

Agenda: 

1-4pm Showcase and workshop 

4-5pm Networking drinks reception 

Ultimately, the event seeks to inspire participants to bridge disciplinary boundaries, collaborate effectively, and translate innovative ideas into impactful interdisciplinary ventures that address pressing social issues.  

For questions regarding the event, please contact IRT Research Fellow’s Dr Diana Camps: Diana.camps@glasgow.ac.uk, Dr Anna Clover: Anna.clover@glasgow.ac.uk Dr Marcela Ramos: Marcela.Ramos@glasgow.ac.uk, or Dr Yang Wang: Yang.wang@glasgow.ac.uk