Moderator: Swetha Manohar, Nutrition Innovation Lab Investigator & PhD candidate, Johns Hopkins University

Panel:

• Santosh Gaihre, PhD Candidate, University of Aberdeen
• Semira Beyan, IMMANA Fellow & Lecturer, Hawassa University
• Ramya Ambikapthi, Research Fellow, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• Ariyo Oluwaseun, Lecturer, University of Ibadan

Brief overview of the session: 

What does it mean to work across disciplines? Why is this particularly important for agrihealth research? What are the associated benefits and challenges, especially for doctoral students and early career researchers The Learning Labs programme will open with a plenary session that aims to shed light on these critical questions and ask the panellists to reflect upon their experiences in working across disciplines. The session will feature four early-career researchers who will talk briefly about their journeys to date; how different experiences and contexts have shaped their research and share thoughts on how one could be better prepared for undertaking interdisciplinary work.

Learning Outcomes:

Through this discussion participants will be stimulated to think critically about how interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral working can enrich their research, what types of challenges and opportunities they might encounter and how they can be better prepared to tackle these. The session will help participants to evaluate and plan their own interdisciplinary paths and the conversation can continue after the session through an online ANH Academy forum, which will provide space for participants to discuss their experiences and plans that lie ahead. It is hoped that this dialogue will further the sharing of experiences amongst early career researchers and provide food for thought to their mentors on the gaps, needs and learning opportunities for researchers making interdisciplinary journeys.