1. Exploiting the multidisciplinary environment in Oulu
Riitta Kamula
17th March, 2017

2. Exploiting the multidisciplinary environment in Oulu
HUMANS
TECHNOLOGY
ENVIRONMENT

3. Remember this thing called ”mobility” ?

4. Mobility should be encouraged
Salzburg Principles for Doctoral Training (2005)
Increasing mobility
Doctoral programmes should seek to offer geographical as well as interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility and international collaboration within an integrated framework of cooperation between universities and other partners.
Seven Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training (2011)
Interdisciplinary Research Options
Open research environment and culture to ensure that any appropriate opportunities for cross-fertilisation between disciplines can foster the necessary breadth and interdisciplinary approach.
Exposure to industry and other relevant employment sectors
In the widest sense.
International networking
Collaborative research, cosupervision (cotutelle), dual and joint degrees.

5. Mobility should be encouraged But encouraging mobility is not enough !
Mobility must also be enabled !

6. Multidisciplinarity Fuding Why go with multidisciplinarity?
ENVIRONMENT
HUMANS
TECHNOLOGY
Why go with multidisciplinarity?
Innovation interface
New findings arise from collisions at the boundaries of disciplines
An old question in one field may require a new angle from other field’s approach to answer it

7. Keys for multidiciplinarity: forgetting pride and being open-minded
Too many projects are dropped, or not started, due to the absence of expertise in the research unit
Help might be found by undertaking a collaborative project with the unit, or institute, next door.
Keys for multidiciplinarity: forgetting pride and being open-minded

8. Multidisciplinarity Fuding What’s in it for me? Career development
ENVIRONMENT
HUMANS
TECHNOLOGY
What’s in it for me?
Career development
Broader experience
Greater diversity of skills
More comprehensive view
New employment possibilities
More funding sources available

9. Research profile with five focus areas (4.02.2016)
Science with Arctic attitude
Creating sustainability through materials and systems
Molecular and environmental basis of life-long health
Digital solutions in sensing and interactions
Earth and near-space system and environmental change
Understanding humans in change

10. University of Oulu : your internal playground
University of Oulu : your internal playground
Multidisciplinary since the very beginning at 1958
10 FACULTIES
Faculty of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Humanities
Faculty of Information Technology & Electrical Engineering
Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Technology
Oulu Business School
Oulu Mining School
Oulu School of Architecture
UNIVERSITY OF OULU GRADUATE SCHOOL
4 Doctoral programmes
(from )
Health & Biosciences
Human Sciences
Technology & Natural Sciences
Information Technology & Electrical Engineering
MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CENTRES (Umbrella organizations)
Thule Institute
Biocenter Oulu
Eudaimonia
Infotech
HUMANS
TECHNOLOGY
ENVIRONMENT
Research Units
6 SEPARATE DEPARTMENTS
Tellus Arena
Center for Microscopy & Nanotechnology
Kajaani University Consortium
Laboratory Animal Centre
Library
Oulu Southern Institute
5 COOPERATION CENTRES & PROGRAMMES
Center for Energy & Environment
Centre for Health & Technology
Centre for Measurement & Information Systems
Center for Printed Intelligence
Martti Ahtisaari Institute

11. … and don’t forget your fellow doctoral students

12. University of Oulu : your external playground; some examples
University of Oulu : your external playground; some examples
Regional cooperation
Business Oulu / City of Oulu …
National cooperation
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
National Institute for Health and Welfare
LYNET - Finnish Partnership for Research on Natural Resources and the Environment
Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira
Finnish Environment Institute SYKE
Finnish Meteological Institute
Geological Survey Finland of GTK
National Land Survey of Finland
Natural Resources Institute Finland LUKE
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
International cooperation
Scandinavian universities
NorDoc
Hokkaido University
University of the Arctic
HUMANS
TECHNOLOGY
ENVIRONMENT

13. Discussion with your neighbour 5 minutes
Multidisciplinarity
Discussion with your neighbour 5 minutes
Your research:
What discipline(s) is it based on ?
What other field(s) in Oulu could be interested in, or make use of your results ?

14. Common challenges encountered in multidisciplinarity?
Communication: No common understanding
Different disciplines have ”different languages”
The terminology has to be opened again and again
Perspectives can be drawn in different directions

15. Common challenges encountered in multidisciplinarity?
Communication: No common understanding
Solution?
Consistent definitions
and terminology
Good will
Humour …

16. The challenges encountered in multidisciplinarity?
Career development
The down-side of the personal benefits defined by broader experience and greater diversity of skills:
Unclear / confusing professional identity
Difficulty for the employers to categorize your competence

17. What are the challenges in multidisciplinarity?
2. Career development
Solution?
Clarify to yourself what skills and competence you have, or may need, to be employable
Core
Transferable
AND LEARN TO COMMUNICATE THEM!

18. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” -Charles Darwin