Abstract

This session will introduce a new and experimental concept aimed at developing young researcher’s ability to design interdisciplinary research projects and communicate with colleagues from other disciplines. Inspired by theater improv, Research Improv forces young researchers to improvise and quickly generate an idea for a research project. The concept is intriguingly simple. Five young researchers at the postdoctoral level are placed in a room with the following instructions: use each person’s skills, interest, and knowledge and propose a research project that can best exploit each collaborator’s strengths. In contrast to the theater, this creative process takes place behind the scenes, in a closed room without observers, to allow the researchers to develop ideas in a safe and non-judgmental environment. This creative process occurs in two iterations: the group meets twice during the course of two weeks. Following this process, the researchers are then asked to perform on stage. At a larger assembly of peer researchers, the group is allocated a 15-minute slot to describe their experiences with the process, analyse their ability to collaborate and communicate, and pitch the idea for their research project. This pecha-kucha session will summarize the researchers experiences of the process and whether the concept has the potential to develop the desired soft skills among researchers.