Seminar/ Colloquium

Title : Interdisciplinary science from a user perspective
Speaker : Gautam I Menon, Theoretical Physics and Computational Biology groups The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai
Date : 09/09/2016, Seminar Hall, First Floor.

Abstract:

Funding agencies, governmental and academic panels as well as surveys of scientists all agree that science at its frontiers is becoming increasingly cross-disciplinary. We should provide students with skills (and attitudes) that are flexible enough for them to be able to deal with this shift, but that is easier done with concrete examples in mind. As a condensed matter/statistical physicist who collaborates increasingly with experimental biologists, my own experience with the frustrations and occasional joy of working across disciplines may be useful to others in this regard. I will use examples from my own recent work – on the architecture of cell nuclei, cellular transport problems and infectious disease modelling – to describe both the  rewards and the frequent disappointments that are encountered when one attempts to cross disciplines in scientific research.