Team Science Series launches with focus on research, scholarship collaborations

Auburn University’s Office of the Senior Vice President for Research and Economic Development recently hosted the kickoff event in its Team Science Series, a slate of programs and activities intended to promote networking and collaboration among researchers and creative scholars.

The inaugural program, held Nov. 1 in the Brown-Kopel Engineering Student Achievement Center, featured a panel discussion with research team leaders and a keynote address by Joel Dobbs, co-director of the Healthcare Leadership Academy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Collat School of Business. Dobbs presented strategies for building and maintaining strong team relationships and offered tips on trust-building and helping diverse working groups flourish.

Attendees were given an overview of available resources and upcoming series activities by Jennifer Kerpelman, associate vice president for research. She noted a seminar focused on the multidisciplinary study of stress, scheduled for the spring 2025 semester and planned in collaboration with Stephen Erath and Mark Liles, associate deans for the College of Human Sciences and the College of Sciences and Mathematics, respectively.

Kickoff event panelists spoke of the importance of making connections with other scholars across disciplines, one of the core purposes of the Team Science Series. In keeping with research goals of Auburn’s recently announced 10-year strategic plan, future activities of the series will focus on giving researchers more opportunities to learn about the work their colleagues across the university are engaged in.

“Team science is an interdisciplinary approach to research that connects people with diverse expertise and fosters innovation in solutions to complex problems,” Kerpelman said. “Through our Team Science Series, we are looking to build avenues for engagement and ensure needed supports are available.

"At the inaugural event, I was impressed by the valuable insights of the research team leaders and the keynote speaker. Feedback from attendees indicates the information shared was timely. We aim to engage interested faculty to help shape the series over the coming years.”