Perspectives on funding structures, cross-cultural collaboration and institutional support needed to support the next generation of convergence climate scientists

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OPINION
Perspectives on funding structures, cross-
cultural collaboration and institutional
support needed to support the next
generation of convergence climate scientists
Dylan BlaskeyID
1
*, Louise Mercer
2
, Fleur van Crimpen
3
, E
´lise Devoie
4
1Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder,
Boulder, Colorado, United States of America, 2Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences,
Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, 3Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit
Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 4Department of Civil Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston,
Canada
*dylan.blaskey@colorado.edu
Introduction
Climate change presents interrelated ecological, social, economic, and political challenges.
Successful adaptation and resiliency efforts require convergent research: an integrative
approach that transcends disciplinary boundaries and brings together expertise from across
diverse disciplines, nations, cultures, and knowledge systems [1]. Convergent research has
emerged as an avenue to facilitate holistic insight into the rapid environmental changes in the
Arctic, their ramifications on socio-ecological systems, and the formulation of sustainable mit-
igation strategies [2]. Given the emerging interest in convergent research approaches that
include Indigenous communities by funding agencies [3], there is a need to identify necessary
support required for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to use these approaches. We, a collective
of Arctic Early Career natural scientists, shed light on challenges inherent in this evolving
landscape. Drawing from our diverse experiences of working in distinct cultural and disciplin-
ary contexts, we explore the challenges posed by funding structures, institutional support, and
disciplinary boundaries in fostering the next generation of convergent scientists.
Reimagining graduate and postgraduate funding
Current funding structures dictate the research topics, practices, and methods applied. This
funding often aligns closely with the scientific research priorities or “novel research” of interest
to the funding agency and not the communities. Though stable and well-established, this sys-
tem limits the novelty and innovation possible in studies that deviate from the western, time-
bound, and disciplinary-siloed scientific method [4].
Indigenous Peoples’ have been the stewards of Arctic regions for millennia, the spirit, his-
tory, meaning, balance, and care for these lands are embedded in their cultural codes and sto-
ries [5,6]. Failure to acknowledge this wealth of knowledge overlooks the socio-ecological
changes in a broader temporal and environmental context. Many solutions can be drawn from
Indigenous traditions [7]. Long-term relationship development between researchers and
Indigenous communities is essential for the establishment of research projects that address
community research priorities and facilitate two-way knowledge transfer [8]. This requires
time spent in communities (Fig 1) which often conflicts with the time-bound deliverables
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OPEN ACCESS
Citation: Blaskey D, Mercer L, van Crimpen F,
Devoie E
´(2024) Perspectives on funding
structures, cross-cultural collaboration and
institutional support needed to support the next
generation of convergence climate scientists. PLOS
Clim 3(1): e0000330. https://doi.org/10.1371/
journal.pclm.0000330
Editor: Jamie Males, PLOS Climate, UNITED
KINGDOM
Published: January 3, 2024
Copyright: ©2024 Blaskey et al. This is an open
access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original
author and source are credited.
Funding: The authors received no specific funding
for this work.
Competing interests: The authors have declared
that no competing interests exist.

required by funding agencies and academic programs. Students who are expected to undertake
cross-cultural collaborative work must be provided with adequate financial support and train-
ing (Fig 1) to build relationships on a foundation of trust and reciprocity and sustain partner-
ships beyond project timescales.
Both political and disciplinary boundaries limit convergent research essential for incorpo-
rating diverse ways of knowing into research outcomes. A critical aspect of successful
Fig 1. Sufficient and targeted funding, dedicated time, and comprehensive training are needed to support the next generation of convergence climate
scientists who will keep collaborative partnerships at the core of their research.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000330.g001
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international convergence collaboration is the provision of funding mechanisms that support
the mobility of researchers, particularly ECRs, enabling them to extend their stays at partner
institutions or within communities where they work [9]. Supporting convergence research
requires innovative funding sources that transcend cultural, disciplinary, and political
boundaries.
Transforming higher education and community engagement
Institutions must continue to increase representation of Indigenous students and faculty. The
creation of welcoming spaces to retain and promote Indigenous scholars requires changes to
university policies to acknowledge and promote diverse ways of Knowing and teaching. Learn-
ing from many movements aimed to engage Black scholars, recruiting is a simple first step, but
fostering an environment that promotes growth and a sense of belonging is an entirely differ-
ent matter [10].
Including Indigenous research partners requires universities to shift from promotion and
tenure systems that predominantly value disciplinary outputs to acknowledge the temporal
demands and societal benefits inherent in convergent research [11]. For successful training in
community partnership, students require opportunities to design and implement research
plans collaboratively with communities. During graduate and postgraduate projects, time
spent listening and learning from communities can result in concerns surrounding project
progress and ethical guidelines. Overcoming these obstacles necessitates intentional integra-
tion of ECRs into advisors’ networks in Indigenous communities from the onset of programs.
In practice this could include repeated community visits that last more than a few days to help
facilitate lasting relationships (Fig 1).
Developing boundary-spanning skills for impactful convergence
research
Graduate and postgraduate curricula successfully train students with conventional scientific
skills necessary for completing scientific research, while the soft skills necessary for participat-
ing in boundary-spanning projects are neglected [12]. Our collective experiences, rooted in
physical science backgrounds with varying degrees of social science, underscore the scarcity of
intentional teaching of these vital soft skills. Topics such as cultural awareness, community
relationship building, policy-oriented writing, and interdisciplinary collaboration hardly
receive attention. ECRs need to be adequately equipped with the necessary tools for effective
convergence research [13], including the development of these soft skills, as well as an
improved understanding of the histories that divide cultures [14].
A focus on socio-ecological impacts of climate change in the Arctic requires understanding
the historical dynamics between Indigenous Peoples’ and Western scientists. While some uni-
versities offer training to support basic understanding of the social and political context in
which Arctic research is situated, graduate students rarely have opportunities for comprehen-
sive training. Training should empower ECRs to navigate the intricate socio-ecological land-
scape of the Arctic and communicate their findings effectively across disciplines and broader
audiences. With sufficient training, ECR’s will be placed in a position to improve cross-disci-
plinary and cross-cultural collaboration feeding into convergent research processes (Fig 1).
Conclusion
Convergent research is poised to disentangle the intricacies of Arctic climate change and pro-
vide solutions with global resonance. As ECRs working in the Arctic, we raise a collective call
to action, urging transformative changes to research funding, institutional support, and
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training to better support convergent research approaches. In a world where the boundaries
between disciplines are fluid and global challenges require multifaceted solutions that draw
from diverse knowledge systems, universities and funding organizations have a pivotal role to
play in nurturing the growth of convergent scientists. Fostering a culture of cross-cultural/dis-
ciplinary collaboration, providing training in soft skills, and adapting promotion and tenure
systems to recognize the value of convergent research are just some of the crucial steps for-
ward. Together we can make the transformative changes needed to address climate change
and create a more sustainable and equitable future.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization: Dylan Blaskey, Louise Mercer.
Formal analysis: Dylan Blaskey, Louise Mercer, Fleur van Crimpen, E
´lise Devoie.
Project administration: Dylan Blaskey, Louise Mercer.
Visualization: Louise Mercer, Fleur van Crimpen.
Writing – original draft: Dylan Blaskey.
Writing – review & editing: Dylan Blaskey, Fleur van Crimpen, E
´lise Devoie.
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