Early- and mid-career researchers’ agency in pursuing interdisciplinary careers: institutional support and hindrances

Interdisciplinarity has been identified as central to improving research impact and addressing complex problems, locally and globally. An interdisciplinary career is not, however, a simple proposition. Many researchers, particularly early- and mid-career researchers (EMCRs), encounter significant challenges, and their agency is key to success. However, little is known about how EMCRs exercise agency and how university environments shape it. To address this gap, this paper uses an integrated three-dimensional framework of academic careers and practice architectures to answer two research questions: (1) how do EMCRs exercise agency in pursuing interdisciplinary research careers? (2) how do practice arrangements within universities support or hinder their agency? The paper draws on data collected in a 6-year project that explored interdisciplinary practices in two interdisciplinary institutes in a large Australian research-intensive university. Core to the paper is an abductive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 27 EMCRs. This is supplemented with observations of a range of meetings and EMCR-oriented activities and interviews with senior academics. The findings show: (1) the imbalance of responsibility and risk between interdisciplinary researchers and the institution and (2) the idiosyncratic nature of each researcher’s career, while encountering common issues. EMCRs lack some of the knowledge needed to make sense of their environment and to act purposefully in it. Mentors and advocates have important roles to play in helping EMCRs navigate career choices and in promoting change. Both system-wide and local, customised, support for non-traditional and individualised pathways are needed to assist EMCRs pursuing interdisciplinary careers.